The LATERAN
THE BASILICA

There are hundreds of churches in Rome, but only one is considered the mother of all churches: the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

As mater et caput (“Mother and Head”), the Lateran Basilica holds a higher rank in the Catholic Church than St. Peter’s Basilica. It was built in the 4th century but has been repeatedly destroyed, plundered, and rebuilt over the centuries. Its present appearance dates back to the 17th century. Although the facade may appear modest from the outside, the church radiates in baroque splendor on the inside.

Of the five entrances, you will rarely use one: the entrance all the way to the right, the Holy Door (Porta Santa). It is only opened in holy years. The central door is not always open either: the original bronze door dates back to the 5th century and was taken from the Curia Julia (Roman Forum).

Standing in the middle of the nave of the church, you will see the main altar in front of you with its Gothic-style baldachin. Allegedly, since 1367, it has housed the heads of Paul and Peter, the patron saints of Rome. Behind it lies the choir, with a magnificent mosaic from the 19th century. To the left of the main altar, you can access the cloister, and to the right, the treasury.

The Lateran
THE TREASURY

Upon entering the treasury, one can understand why the Vatican is said to possess unimaginable wealth. Gilded shrines, crowns, and chalices glisten within the display cases. In display case number 1 (to the right from the entrance), there is even a reliquary of St. John the Baptist!

The LATERAN
THE OBELISK

On your way from the Basilica to the Baptistry, you will pass by an obelisk. It’s worth giving it attention and time as well: among the 13 obelisks in Rome, it is the largest of them all. This 32-meter-tall, 500-tonne obelisk originated in Egypt, arrived in Rome in the 4th century, and was initially erected in the Circus Maximus. It wasn’t until 1588 that it was moved to its current location.

The Lateran
A bit of history

The name “Lateran” derives from the Laterani family, one of the most powerful families in Rome until the early 4th century. Today, the entire district bears this name. This area also includes three of Rome’s seven hills: Quirinal, Viminal, and Celio. It was Emperor Constantine who confiscated their land and had the first Christian basilica built here: the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Today, only a single column remains of this basilica. It burned down twice. In the 5th century, it was repeatedly plundered by the Germans, and in the 9th century, it was heavily damaged by an earthquake. However, it was rebuilt each time.

During the last renovation, Francesco Borromini designed the interior in 1646. The reason for this was the Holy Year of 1650. The walls on the sides of the nave are equipped with niches that hold space for 12 large statues representing the 12 apostles, created under the supervision of Gianlorenzo Bernini.

It was only a hundred years later (1736) that the main facade was crafted by Alessandro Galilei. The 15 x seven-meter-high statues made of travertine adorn the church’s main front. In the center is Jesus, flanked by John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The remaining statues depict other influential church fathers.

The Basilica of St. John Lateran is one of the seven pilgrimage churches. In the Catholic Church, it holds a higher rank than St. Peter’s Basilica. It bears the honorary title “Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput” (Mother and Head of all the churches of the city of Rome and the world). Originally dedicated to Christ the Redeemer (as seen in the facade inscription “Christo Salvatori”), it was later dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

Until the 15th century, the Lateran Palace served as the residence of the Popes. The move of the Popes to the Vatican was also the reason for the redesign of St. Peter’s Basilica (1506-1626) into the structure we know today. As early as 1377, the year of the Popes’ return from Avignon, the Vatican gained importance as the Pope’s residence but was not yet considered the primary seat. The Popes were still crowned at the Lateran until the 19th century.

Anyone entering the Lateran Basilica and its affiliated buildings is on extraterritorial ground, meaning Vatican territory. This was established on February 11, 1929, as part of the so-called Lateran Treaties. These treaties were signed between the Holy See and the then Kingdom of Italy (under Mussolini). They secured the political and territorial sovereignty of the Vatican and ended the ongoing conflict between Italy and the Vatican. Among other provisions, this agreement also sealed the size of Vatican City at 0.44 km2. These treaties are named after the Lateran Palace where the signing took place.