Ancient Roman architecture could penetrate through the clerestory windows. The oldest known basilica, the Basilica Porcia, was built in Rome in 184 BC by Cato the Elder during the time he was Censor. Other early examples include the basilica at Pompeii (late 2nd century BC). After Christianity became the official religion, the basilica shape was found appropriate for the first large public churches, with the attraction of avoiding reminiscences of the Greco-Roman temple form. The Roman circus was a large open-air venue used for public events in the ancient Roman Empire. The circuses were similar to the ancient Greek hippodromes, although circuses served
Roman Gradual to fit the revised Roman Missal and calendar. Some chants were replaced by ancient ones rediscovered after 1908. Roman Gradual The Roman Gradual (Latin: Graduale Romanum) is an official liturgical book of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church containing chants, including the Gradual proper and many more, for use in Mass. The latest edition of 1974 takes account of the 1970 revision of the "Roman Missal". In 1979, the "Graduale Triplex: The Roman Gradual With the Addition of Neums from Ancient Manuscripts" ( in English (1985), in Latin) was published. It added reproductions of the neumes from ancient