Roman emperor Trajan commissioned the Basilica Ulpia in Trajan’s Forum in Rome.
The basilica formed the forum’s principal civic building and stood directly behind Trajan’s Column. Completed around 112 CE, it was named for Trajan’s family name, Ulpius. Unlike a modern Christian basilica, it was a large Roman public hall used for legal, administrative, and ceremonial purposes.
The building had a vast central nave, side aisles, and two apses. Ancient sources and archaeological evidence indicate that its interior was richly decorated with marble and columns. The basilica was part of a monumental complex celebrating Trajan’s victories in the Dacian Wars.
A common mix-up is confusing Basilica Ulpia with the later Christian basilicas of Rome. Trajan’s Forum was an imperial civic complex, while Christian basilicas developed a different religious function centuries later.