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 royal palace (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 of ...

''). In the

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

the term was also used as a synonym for the ''Pfalz'' itself. An example of a surviving ''aula regia'' is the church of

Santa María del Naranco The church of St Mary at Mount Naranco ( es, Iglesia de Santa María del Naranco; ast, Ilesia de Santa María'l Narancu) is a pre-Romanesque Asturian building on the slope of Mount Naranco situated from Oviedo, northern Spain. Ramiro I of As ...

near Oviedo, built around 850 as an ''aula regia'' for Ramiro I.Pevsner/Fleming/Honour, ''Lexikon der Weltarchitektur'', Reinbek 1984. There was also an ''aula regia'' in the Palace of Aachenː it later became a part of the medieval Town Hall of Aachen. The royal hall of the ''Kaiserpfalz'' at Ingelheim has been digitally reconstructed. The architectural prototype for all of them was the Basilica of Constantine in

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

. The reception room in the

Domus Flavia The Flavian Palace, normally known as the Domus Flavia, is part of the vast Palace of Domitian on the Palatine Hill in Rome. It was completed in 92 AD by Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus,''The Cambridge Ancient History''. Vol. XI. Cambridge: C ...

, the palace of

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

on the Palatine Hill in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, is also called the ''Aula Regia''. File:Kaiserpfalz1-Ingelheim.jpg, Remains of the ''aula regia'' in the

Imperial Palace Ingelheim The Imperial Palace Ingelheim (german: Ingelheimer Kaiserpfalz) is an important imperial palace erected in the second half of the 8th century in Germany. It served Emperors and Kings as a residence and place for governance until the 11th century. ...

File:Digitale Rekonstruktion - Geometrische Ausmalung, Innenansicht.jpg, Digital artist's impression of the ''aula regia'' of the Ingelheim Kaiserpfalz (computer graphic) File:20060630-Oviedo Santa Maria del Naranco.jpg, Santa Maria del Naranco File:Planta de Santa María del Naranco.gif, Floor plan of Santa Maria del Naranco

References

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