Basilica A, on the north side of the site, is older and smaller than Basilica B — a 5th-century three-aisled building with the marble pavement, the bema (the raised platform for the clergy), and the synthronon (the curved bench where the bishops sat) all still in place. The triumphal arch piers at the eastern end are partly preserved.
Beside the basilica is a small square Roman building that local tradition identifies as the prison cell where Paul and Silas were held during their visit to Philippi (Acts 16). Whether or not the identification is correct, the basilica was built on this spot specifically because of the connection.