Palatine churches are religious buildings that, unlike traditional Catholic churches, are not considered the property of the church in the strict sense, but rather of the "palace" or ruler. This concept has taken on particular importance since the 11th century, when Pope Leo IX decided to affirm the Donation of Constantine, which recognized the Catholic Church's ownership of all the churches of God in the world. Therefore, when a ruler commissioned the construction of a private chapel within his palace, to distinguish it from other Christian churches and chapels, considered to be under papal jurisdiction, it was designated a palatine church.
This term was later extended to include all private chapels, from the residences of heads of state to military ones. Over time, many of these palatine churches received ecclesiastical benefice with patronage, which tied the structures to the service of the Church, overcoming the question of mere ownership. Furthermore, the clergy assigned to these churches were granted exemption from ordinary ecclesiastical jurisdiction, often under the supervision of a "major chaplain", similar to the Grand Almoner of France, who held a certain power of supervision, assimilating the palatine clergy to that of a modern-day personal prelature.
In Italy, the question of the Palatine churches was finally resolved with the Concordat of the Lateran Pacts of 1929, which saw the state renounce all claims to them, with the exception of the chapels attached to the royal palaces, the Basilica of Superga and the Church of the Shroud of Turin. Until that time, the Italian Palatine clergy had been subordinate to the King's Major Chaplain, whose office resided between 1871 and 1929 at the Church of the Santissimo Sudario dei Piemontesi in Rome, as the chapels of the Quirinale were under interdict until the Concordat.
Abroad, the Palatine churches retained their special status, continuing to play a significant role in ecclesiastical and civil contexts.
Among the most famous Palatine churches is the Basilica of Santa Barbara in Mantua, part of the Ducal Palace, known for having been authorized to host non-Catholic rites and concerts of profane music. Furthermore, it is one of the few Palatine churches to boast the title of “basilica”, together with the Palatine basilicas of Puglia.
The four Palatine basilicas of Puglia are the Basilica di San Nicola di Bari, il Santuario di Monte Sant’Angelo, Cattedrale di Altamura and the Cattedrale di Acquaviva delle Fonti.
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