[2][3] Its architecture included a central and two side naves, an apse, a narthex (anteroom), and a colonnaded atrium (inner court).

[4] The Bishop's Basilica is located in the central part of Plovdiv, next to the 19th-century Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Louis and Kyaginya Maria Luiza Blvd.

The basilica was built in the mid-4th century AD, probably over an earlier building with a similar plan which covered the space for two insulae (quarters defined by four perpendicular streets).

The overall length of the basilica is 86.30 m and its width is 38.50 m. The aisles are separated from the nave by a colonnade of 13 bays: every two marble columns were followed by one masonry pier, to a total of 14.

Its dimensions, its decoration and its central location near the ancient city’s forum indicate the existence of a sizable and influential Christian community in Philippopolis.

After it was abandoned in the 10th-12th centuries, its location was taken up by a large Christian necropolis which had a cemetery church decorated with fine murals.

It is near the central square and the St. Ludwig Catholic Cathedral, providing an everlasting example for the continuity of spiritual ideas that the various generations have handed down through the centuries.

On 26 September 2014, a project for the restoration and conservation of the basilica was presented, according to which the remains of the ancient church will become a museum complex of a modern type, which combines traditional exhibition techniques with innovative technological solutions such as augmented and virtual reality, interactive games in children's playground and a mosaic studio.

The site's completion is expected in early 2021, when the unique mosaics, with a total area of 2,000 square meters, will finally be presented to visitors.

The conservation, restoration, display and protective cover project is one of the most important initiatives of Plovdiv Municipality and the city itself, which in 2019 was recognized as European Capital of Culture.

To complete the Bishop’s Basilica, the municipality has concluded agreements with the Ministry of Culture and America for Bulgaria Foundation.

Restoration of the Bishop’s Basilica of Philippopolis is supported not just by the state institutions and agencies but also by the local community and businesses.

They included school students and lawyers, journalists and engineers, architects and builders, tourist guides and NGO representatives, judges and prosecutors, classical musicians and writers, members of the diplomatic corps, Bulgarians and citizens from all over.