Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano

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About Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano

The Arcibasilica di San Giovanni in Laterano is the cathedral of Rome: it is there, and not in São Pedro, that the pope's chair as bishop of the city is located. For that reason it bears the title "mother and head of all the churches of Rome and of the world." The first basilica was built in the 4th century, in the time of Emperor Constantine, and the palace beside it was the residence of the popes for almost a thousand years.

The current façade, dated 1735, is by Alessandro Galilei, crowned by giant statues of Christ, the saints and the Doctors of the Church, visible from afar. The central door is bronze and came from the Curia of the Roman Forum. Inside, Francesco Borromini rebuilt the nave in the mid-17th century, and the niches in the pillars hold the large statues of the twelve apostles. Also worth seeing is the medieval cloister, with columns worked in mosaic.

In the square beside it stands the Lateran obelisk, the largest Egyptian obelisk in Rome, and the octagonal baptistery, one of the oldest in Christendom. Across the street, the Santuario della Scala Santa preserves the 28 steps that, according to tradition, Jesus climbed in Pontius Pilate's palace and that are said to have been brought from Jerusalem by Saint Helena.

On the Scala Santa the faithful ascend the steps on their knees, praying; the side staircases may be used on foot. At the top is the Sancta Sanctorum, the former private chapel of the popes, with medieval frescoes and the icon of the Most Holy Savior. Both churches require shoulders and knees to be covered.