An ''aula regia'' ( lat. for "royal hall"), also referred to as a ''

palas A ''palas'' () is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval '' Pfalz'' or castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period (11th to 13th century) and, according to Thompson ...

hall'', is a name given to the great hall in an imperial (or governor's) palace in the

Ancient Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often consi ...

and in the derived

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

audience halls of emperors, kings or bishops as part of their palaces (for example the German ''

Kaiserpfalz The term ''Kaiserpfalz'' (, "imperial palace") or ''Königspfalz'' (, "royal palace", from Middle High German ''phal ne'' to Old High German ''phalanza'' from Middle Latin ''palatia'' luralto Latin ''palatium'' "palace") refers to a number o ...

'' – Imperial palace). In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

the term was also used as a synonym for the ''Pfalz'' (palace) itself. Architecturally, the

aulas followed the model of the

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

audience halls in the imperial and governor's palaces such as the Aula regia in the Flavian Palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome, completed in 92 AD or the Aula Palatina in

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

, Germany, completed in 311 under

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

. This emperors's mother Helena lived in Rome in the Sessorium Palace; She had its smaller, hall-shaped aula converted into the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme for the relics she had brought with her from Jerusalem, while of the palace's larger civil basilica, built in the style of a three-aisled columned basilica, only the apse remains as a free-standing ruin. The aulas usually followed the single-

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

building type, not that of the

Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

with a higher central nave flanked by two or more lower longitudinal

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s which was more commonly used for market halls in the Roman era. Both ancient types of halls became models for Christian

church architecture Church architecture refers to the architecture of Christian buildings, such as Church (building), churches, chapels, convents, and seminaries. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly ...

. The monumental ''aulae regiae'' served as venues for court ceremonies at audiences and receptions, and in the Middle Ages also for '' Hoftage'', the irregular gatherings of the powerful of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, as well as for coronation meals, wedding feasts or other banquets. The ruler's throne can be assumed to be in the apse (which became the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

in churches); the entrance is opposite the throne. The Carolingian hall buildings, unlike the ancient ones, were usually not accessed across the longitudinal axis despite the apses that had been adopted, but - as in the traditional Franconian and

Middle German house The Middle German house () is a style of traditional German farmhouse which is predominantly found in Central Germany. It is known by a variety of other names, many of which indicate its regional distribution: * ''Ernhaus'' (hall house, hall ki ...

- via the transverse axis, on the long side of the building, like the aulae of the

Palace of Aachen The Palace of Aachen was a group of buildings with residential, political, and religious purposes chosen by Charlemagne to be the center of power of the Carolingian Empire. The palace was located in the heart of the current city of Aachen, today ...

or the Palace of Goslar. An example of a surviving ''aula regia'' of the early middle ages is the church of Santa María del Naranco near

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

, built around 850 as an ''aula regia'' for Ramiro I.Pevsner/Fleming/Honour, ''Lexikon der Weltarchitektur'', Reinbek 1984. Most Imperial Palaces, royal palaces or bishop's palaces of the early and high Middle Ages contained such an audience hall, for example the ''aula regia'' in the

ː it later became a part of the medieval Town Hall of Aachen. The royal hall of the Imperial Palace Ingelheim (c. 780) has been digitally reconstructed. Aula Regia (Roma Palatino).png, Floor plan of the Aula regia in the Flavian Palace (92 AD) Modell Praetorium, Cologne.JPG, Model of the '' Praetorium of Cologne'' with the aula regia on the left (built in 185 AD) Trier Konstantinbasilika BW 1.JPG, Aula Palatina in

, Germany (305–311) Kaiserpfalz1-Ingelheim.jpg, Remains of the ''aula regia'' in the Ingelheim Imperial Palace (c. 780) Digitale Rekonstruktion - Geometrische Ausmalung, Innenansicht.jpg, Digital artist's impression of the ''aula regia'' of the Ingelheim Palace (computer graphic) 2022 Aachen, Centre Charlemagne (31).jpg, Model of the aula regia at the

(c. 790) Santa María del Naranco 2021.jpg, Santa Maria del Naranco (850) Planta de Santa María del Naranco.gif, Floor plan of Santa Maria del Naranco

References

Medieval architecture Rooms Latin words and phrases {{Room-stub