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 The Rise of the Papacy 337 been preserved, contain little else than accounts of them, and no one appears to have doubted their everyday occurrence.^ A word should be said of the early Christian church build- The early ings. The Romans were accustomed to build near their market basilicas ' places a species of public hall, in which townspeople could meet one another to transact business, and in which judges could hear cases, and public officials attend to their duties. These buildings were called basilicas. There were several magnificent ones in Rome itself, and there was doubtless at least one to be found in every town of considerable size. The roofs of these spacious halls were usually supported by long rows of columns ; some- times there were two rows on each side, forming aisles. When, after Constantine had given his approval to Christianity, large, fine churches began to be built they were constructed like these familiar public halls and, like them, were called basilicas. During the sixteen hundred years that have passed since Constantine's time naturally almost all the churches of his day have disappeared or been greatly altered. But the beautiful church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome (Fig. 134) was built only a hundred years later, and gives us an excellent notion of a Christian basilica with its fine rows of columns and its hand- some mosaic decorations. In general, the churches were plain and unattractive on the outside. A later chapter will explain how the basilica grew into the Gothic cathedral, which was as beautiful outside as inside. The chief importance of the Church for the student of The church medieval history does not lie, however, in its religious func- Roman gov- tions, vital as they were, but rather in its remarkable relations e™"!^"^ to ^ the government. From the days of Constantine on, the Catholic Church had usually enjoyed the hearty support and protection of the government. But so long as the Roman Empire remained strong and active there was no chance for the clergy to free themselves from the control of the Emperor, even if they had been disposed to do so. He made such laws for 1 For reports of miracles, see Readings^ especially chaps, v, xvi. I