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Basilica Of St. John Lateran

The Pope's Archbasilica

The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran is the seat of the Pope, the first of the four papal major basilicas and considered the mother church of all Roman Catholic churches. Before 1308 AD, the papal residence was located next to the basilica, and the church contains the papal seat, the high altar, and the baldachin.

In the 4th century, the Lateran family (gens Laterani) dedicated their private property to the Bishop of Rome for the construction of the church. Through earthquakes and fires, the last major reconstruction of the church was done by Borromini in the 17th century, which is today’s Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, or The Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in the Lateran (Italian: Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano).

The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran is the Seat of the Roman Pontiff, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, who serve on either side of Jesus on the rooftop of the church.

Group of Jesus and saints on the roof

The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran is considered the mother church of all Catholic churches and enjoys the highest status. It’s the first of the four major basilicas, with a Papal High Altar inside. The Papal Seat, a symbol of the church’s status, is placed under the mosaic apse in the rear nave. The 12 niches between the columns on either side of the nave contain The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, created by the most prominent Roman Rococo sculptors, each nearly 5 meters tall.

Manywhere Trivia:
The church’s most important relics, the skulls of St. Peter and St. Paul, are housed above the baldachin and the papal high altar.

The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran is also the Burial Place and residence of Popes. For a long time, the Popes lived in the Lateran Palace Next to the Basilica, until the fire of 1308, when he moved to the Vatican. The famous Raphael Room, Borgia Room, etc., are Popes’ apartments in the Vatican Museums.

The square in front of the Lateran Palace is called St. John's Square in Lateran and has a striking obelisk, the tallest one existing in Rome. On major festivals, the Pope ascends to the north balcony of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, from where he interacts with the public in the square.

The Holy Stairs or Scala Sancta, a block away from the Lateran Basilica, is said to be the same one on which Jesus walked during his trial and was brought back to Rome from the Holy City of Jerusalem by the mother of Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century.

Holy Stairs And Sancta Sanctorum

The Steps Jesus Took to His Trial

The Holy Stairs refers to the 28 marble steps that Jesus walked during his trial and were carried from Jerusalem to Rome in the 4th century for preservation. The Church of Sancta Sanctorum, located at the top of the Holy Stairs, was once the Pope's private chapel and contains numerous religious relics and icons.