BasilicaPlan.JPG (128130 bytes)

RavennaSanAppolinare.gif (61205 bytes)

San Apollinare in Classe, near Ravenna

RavennaSanAppolinareInterior.gif (62376 bytes)

The Roman basilica, the building in which judicial, commercial, and governmental activities took place, became the primary architectural model for Christian churches in the early Middle Ages. Medieval Italian churches generally imitated its basic design.  San Apollinare in Classe, near Ravenna, is an excellent example of the early Christian basilican form.

An alternative architectural form was the centralized church

Roman Churches