As the congregation stands and sings the entrance song,
the acolytes, deacon, priest and other ministers
move from the back of the Church and slowly advance towards the altar in an ordered ceremonial fashion.
The origins of this entrance procession date back at least to the 4th century—
a time when Christianity evolved from being an oppressed minority
to serving as the official religion of the Roman Empire.
For its first 300 years, Christianity saw many of its faithful sentenced to imperially sanctioned execution.
It was Constantine the Great—the first Christian emperor— who ended the persecution in 313.
He financed an ambitious church building program to accommodate the swelling number of believers.
Constantine searched for an appropriate architectural style to employ in erecting worship space for the emancipated faith.
Because of its obvious pagan association, the typical religious structure of the day,
the open-air temple, was found unsuitable.
Constantine's engineers chose to follow a secular architectural model
that predated Christianity, and was common to most imperial cities since the second century B.C.
Through a novel use of building methods and materials,
the Roman Basilica offered an immense interior space with optimal lighting ideal for accommodating massive assemblies.
Today, "basilica" is a title given by the Pope to certain churches that are remarkable for antiquity or historical associations
such as St. Peter's Basilica in Rome,
Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice,
or The Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.
But before Christianity was legalized, the term "basilica" had no religious significance whatsoever.
The word was architectural, not ecclesial.
It referred to a wide, oblong building, utilized by the Romans to hold public civic functions,
much like a municipal building would be used today.
When holding court, Roman Magistrates would dress in the narthex,
then travel in procession through the nave—the central part of the building—
and arrive at the semicircular apse which contained an elevated platform known as the "tribunal."
The praetor officiated the court proceedings from his curule seat.
The Roman code of law was nearby enshrined on a large table.
From the tribunal, civil and criminal disputes would be settled, and legal judgements rendered.
After basilicas were adopted as the architectural standard for Christian worship,
what was once the praetor's chair was replaced by the Bishop's Cathedra.
The table with the code of law became the altar with the Gospel Book,
and the long judicial march down the center of the basilica inspired the entrance procession which begins today's liturgy.
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