The Basilica of Pompeii: what was it, and is it open?
Open 9:00 to 17:00 this season, on any ticket, at the south end of the Forum. Not a church: the courthouse and business hall of the city, 1,500 square meters, three naves of brick columns, and the judges' platform at the far end. Built 130 to 120 BC, one of the oldest basilicas anywhere.
By Chiara Vitale · Sources checked
- Basilica, Regio VIII: 9:00–17:00
- Included in the €20, €25 and €30 tickets; nothing extra to buy
- Nearest gate: Porta Marina, from Pompei Villa dei Misteri station
- Five entrances from the Forum square, between tuff pillars
What was the Basilica?
The grandest building on the Forum, 1,500 square meters, where business was done and justice given. You came in from the square through five doorways between tuff pillars. Inside, two rows of brick columns with Ionic capitals divide the hall into three naves.
At the center of the short west side stands the suggestum, the decorated platform where the judges sat. An equestrian statue once stood in the hall; the walls were stuccoed to look like big blocks of marble.
The park dates it to 130 to 120 BC, one of the oldest examples of the type in the Roman world. Digging began in the 19th century with the Forum: 1806, 1813, 1820, then 1928, 1942, 1950.
What to see, in order
The five doors and the three naves
Come in from the Forum through any of the five doorways and stand in the middle nave. The brick columns carried the roof; the stucco on the walls imitated marble blocks.
The tribunal
At the far end, the raised suggestum with its own columns: the judges' seat, above the hall and the crowd. The equestrian statue that stood nearby is gone; the platform is the point.
Park Houses list, summer March 16 to October 14.
How do I get there?
- Take the Sorrento line to Pompei Villa dei Misteri. Enter at Porta Marina with your ID.
- Walk up the ramp to the Forum. The Basilica is at the south end of the square, on your right as you arrive, next to the Sanctuary of Apollo.
- It's on the park's Path 2 with the Forum, the Temple of Jupiter and the Sanctuary of Apollo; exit at Porta Marina after.
- Open until 19:00 in summer. The site admits until 15:30; you can't leave and come back.
Park "How to get there"; map and guide.
Will a guided tour include the Basilica?
All tour selections →The walks that start at Porta Marina usually do. The ten-place walk from Piazza Esedra and the Porta Marina walk with your own ticket both name it. What I'd do: a small-group walk; the courts and the Forum are where a guide earns the fee.
Tour selections compare routes, tickets and meeting points; the tour page shows the route line. tour listings, data from September 19 and 20, 2026.
Before you go
Which ticket do I need?
Any Pompeii ticket: €20, €25 or €30. The Basilica is inside the walls, on the Forum.
Was it a church?
No. In Pompeii a basilica was a covered hall for business and courts. The Christian church took the plan later.
Which gate is nearest?
Porta Marina, beside Pompei Villa dei Misteri station. Up the ramp, and the Basilica is at the near end of the Forum.
How big is it?
1,500 square meters, the park says: a hall with three naves and five doorways onto the Forum.
How long does it take?
The park publishes no times. Ten minutes to walk the naves and look at the tribunal. What I'd do: take it with the Forum and the Sanctuary of Apollo as one half hour.
How old is it?
130 to 120 BC, one of the oldest basilicas in the Roman world. Older than the Forum's paving around it.
Park ticket table, prices effective January 12, 2026; park page on the Basilica.