Roman Catholic archbasilica and landmark in Rome, Italy
Church in Rome, Italy
Cathedral of Rome
Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Saviour and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World
TheArchbasilica of Saint John Lateran (officially theMajor Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World), commonly known as theLateran Basilica orSaint John Lateran,[c] is the Catholiccathedral of theDiocese of Rome in the city ofRome, Italy. It serves as theseat of the bishop of Rome, thepope. The only "archbasilica" in the world, it lies outside ofVatican City proper, which is located approximately four kilometres (2+1⁄2 miles) northwest. Nevertheless, asproperties of the Holy See, the archbasilica and its adjoining edifices enjoy anextraterritorial status from Italy, pursuant to the terms of theLateran Treaty of 1929.[a] Dedicated toChrist the Saviour, in honor ofJohn the Baptist andJohn the Evangelist, the place name –Laterano (Lateran) – comes from an ancient Roman family (gens), whose palace (domus) grounds occupied the site. The adjacentLateran Palace was the primary residence of the pope until theMiddle Ages.
The church is the oldest and highest ranking of the fourmajor papal basilicas, and it is one of theSeven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. Founded in 324, it is the oldest public church in the city of Rome, and the oldestbasilica in the Western world.[1] It houses thecathedra of the Roman bishop,[2][3] and it has the title of ecumenicalmother church of the Catholic faithful. The building deteriorated during the Middle Ages and was badly damaged by two fires in the 14th century. It was rebuilt in the late 16th century during the reign of PopeSixtus V. The new structure's interior was renovated in the late 17th century, and its façade was completed in 1735 under PopeClement XII.
The large Latin inscription on thefaçade reads:Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang. This abbreviated inscription translates as: "The Supreme PontiffClement XII, in the fifth year [of his Pontificate, dedicated this building] to Christ the Saviour, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and [John] the Evangelist".[5] Because Christ the Saviour is its primary dedication, its titular feast day is 6 August, theTransfiguration of Christ. It ranks superior to all other churches of the Catholic Church, includingSaint Peter's Basilica, as the cathedral of the pope as bishop of Rome.
Next to the formal entrance is the archbasilica's declaration to be the head, orMother Church, of the entire world, encircled by thelaurel wreath and thePapal tiara.
The archbasilica's Latin name isArchibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ac Sancti Ioannis Baptistae et Ioannis Evangelistae ad Lateranum,[6] which in English is the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist at the Lateran, and in ItalianArcibasilica [Papale] del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano.[4]
The archbasilica stands over the remains of theCastra Nova equitum singularium, the "New Fort of the Roman imperial cavalry bodyguards". The fort was established bySeptimius Severus in AD 193. Following the victory ofEmperor Constantine the Great overMaxentius (for whom theEquites singulares augusti, the emperor's mounted bodyguards had fought) at theBattle of the Milvian Bridge, the guard was abolished and the fort demolished. Substantial remains of the fort lie directly beneath thenave.
The remainder of the site was occupied during the earlyRoman Empire by thepalace of thegens Laterani.Sextius Lateranus was the firstplebeian to attain the rank ofconsul, and the Laterani served asadministrators for several emperors. One of the Laterani, Consul-designate Plautius Lateranus, became famous for being accused byNero of conspiracy against the Emperor. The accusation resulted in the confiscation and redistribution of his properties.
TheLateran Palace fell into the hands of theEmperor whenConstantine the Great married his second wifeFausta, sister ofMaxentius. Known by that time as theDomus Faustae or "House of Fausta", the Lateran Palace was eventually given to the Bishop of Rome by Constantine the Great during the pontificate ofPope Miltiades,[7] in time to host asynod ofbishops in 313 that was convened to challenge the Donatistschism, declaringDonatism to beheresy. The palacebasilica was converted and extended, becoming the residence ofPope Sylvester I, eventually becoming the Cathedral of Rome, the seat of the Popes as the Bishops of Rome.[8]
Thepapalcathedra, the presence of which renders the archbasilica the cathedral of Rome, is located in itsapse. The decorations are incosmatesque style.
Pope Sylvester I presided over the official dedication of the archbasilica and the adjacent Lateran Palace in 324, changing the name fromDomus Fausta toDomus Dei ("House of God"), with a dedication to Christ the Savior (Christo Salvatori). When acathedra became a symbol of episcopal authority, the papalcathedra was placed in its interior, rendering it the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. WhenGregory the Great sent theGregorian mission to England underAugustine of Canterbury, some original churches in Canterbury took the Roman plan as a model, dedicating a church both to Christ as well as one to Saint Paul, outside the walls of the city. The church name "Christ Church", so common for churches around the world today in Anglophone Anglican contexts, originally came fromCanterbury's Cathedral of Christ, which was named after St. John Lateran's original name.[9][10][11]
The anniversary of the dedication of the church has been observed as a feast since the 12th century. In theGeneral Roman Calendar of theCatholic Church, 9 November is thefeast of the Dedication of the (Arch)Basilica of the Lateran (Dedicatio Basilicae Lateranensis), referred to in older texts as the "Dedication of the Basilica of the Most Holy Savior".[citation needed]
The high altar and the 14th-century Gothicciborium. The relic of the original wooden altar used bySaint Peter comprises the high altar. Above the ciborium are statues of Sts. Peter andPaul.[12]
On the archbasilica's front wall between the main portals is a plaque inscribed with the wordsSACROS LATERAN ECCLES OMNIUM VRBIS ET ORBIS ECCLESIARVM MATER ET CAPUT ("Most Holy Lateran Church, mother and head of all the churches in the city and the world"); a visible indication of the declaration that the basilica is the "mother church" of all the world. In the twelfth century the canons of the Lateran claimed that the high altar housed the Ark of the Covenant and several holy objects from Jerusalem. The basilica was thus presented as the Temple of the New Covenant.[13]
The archbasilica and Lateran Palace were re-dedicated twice.Pope Sergius III dedicated them in honor ofSaint John the Baptist in the 10th century, occasioned by the newly consecratedbaptistry of the archbasilica.Pope Lucius II dedicated them in honor ofJohn the Evangelist in the 12th century. Thus, Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist became co-patrons of the archbasilica, while the primary Titular is still Christ the Savior, as the inscription in the entrance indicates and as is traditional for patriarchal cathedrals. Consequently, the archbasilica remains dedicated to the Savior, and its titular feast is theFeast of the Transfiguration of Christ on 6 August. The archbasilica became the most important shrine of the two Saint Johns, albeit infrequently jointly venerated. In later years, aBenedictinemonastery was established in the Lateran Palace, and was devoted to serving the archbasilica and the two saints.[citation needed]
During the time thepapacy was seated in Avignon, France, the Lateran Palace and the archbasilica deteriorated. Two fires ravaged them in 1307 and 1361. After both fires the pope sent money from Avignon to pay for their reconstruction and maintenance. Nonetheless, the archbasilica and Lateran Palace lost their former splendor. When the papacy returned from Avignon and the pope again resided in Rome, the archbasilica and the Lateran Palace were deemed inadequate considering their accumulated damage. The popes resided at theBasilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere and later at theBasilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Eventually, thePalace of the Vatican was built adjacent to theBasilica of Saint Peter, which existed since the time of EmperorConstantine I, and the popes began to reside there. It has remained the official residence of the pope, though Pope Francis chose to reside in theDomus Sanctae Marthae in the Vatican City,[14] not in thePapal apartments.
There were several attempts at reconstruction of the archbasilica before a definitive program ofPope Sixtus V. Sixtus V hired his favorite architect,Domenico Fontana, to supervise much of the project. The original Lateran Palace was demolished and replaced with a new edifice. On the square in front of theLateran Palace isSan Giovanni Addolorata Hospital and the largest standing ancient Egyptianobelisk in the world, known as theLateran Obelisk. It weighs an estimated 455 tons. It was commissioned by the EgyptianPharaoh Thutmose III and erected byThutmose IV before the greatKarnak temple ofThebes, Egypt. Intended byEmperor Constantine I to be shipped toConstantinople, the very preoccupiedConstantius II had it shipped instead to Rome, where it was erected in theCircus Maximus in AD 357. At some time it broke and was buried under the Circus. In the 16th century it was discovered and excavated, and Sixtus V had it re-erected on a new pedestal on 3 August 1588 at its present site.[15][16][17]
Further renovation of the interior of the archbasilica ensued under the direction ofFrancesco Borromini, commissioned byPope Innocent X. The twelve niches created by his architectural scheme were eventually filled in 1718 with statues of theApostles, sculpted by the most prominent RomanRococo sculptors.
Main body of the basilica, after the radical transformation byFrancesco Borromini in the 17th century.
The vision ofPope Clement XII for reconstruction was an ambitious one in which he launched a competition to design a new façade. More than 23 architects competed, mostly working in the then-currentBaroque idiom. The putatively impartial jury was chaired bySebastiano Conca, president of the RomanAcademy of Saint Luke. The winner of the competition wasAlessandro Galilei.[citation needed]
The façade as it appears today was completed in 1735. It reads in Latin:Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang; this highly abbreviated inscription is expanded thus:Clemens XII, Pont[ifex] Max[imus], [in] Anno V, [dedicavit hoc aedificium] Christo Salvatori, in hon[orem] [sanctorum] Ioan[is] Bapt[tistae] et Evang[elistae]. This translates as "Pope Clement XII, Pontifex Maximus, in the fifth year of his reign, dedicated this building to Christ the Savior, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist".[5] Galilei's façade removed all vestiges of traditional, ancient, basilical architecture and imparted a neo-classical facade.
During the Second World War, the Lateran and its related buildings were used under PopePius XII as a safe haven from the Nazis and Italian Fascists for numbers of Jews and other refugees. Among those who found shelter there wereMeuccio Ruini,Alcide De Gasperi,Pietro Nenni and others. TheDaughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and the sixty orphan refugees they cared for were ordered to leave their convent on the Via Carlo Emanuele. TheSisters of Maria Bambina, who staffed the kitchen at thePontifical Major Roman Seminary at the Lateran offered a wing of their convent. The grounds also housed Italian soldiers.[18]
An apse lined with mosaics and open to the air still preserves the memory of one of the most famous halls of the ancient palace, the "Triclinium" ofPope Leo III, which was the state banqueting hall. The existing structure is not ancient, but some portions of the original mosaics may have been preserved in the tripartite mosaic of its niche. In the center Christ gives to theApostles their mission; on the left he gives the keys of the kingdom of heaven toPope Sylvester I and theLabarum toEmperor Constantine I; and on the rightPeter gives the papalstole toPope Leo III and the standard toCharlemagne.
Some few remains of the original buildings may still be traced in thecity walls outside theGate of Saint John, and a large wall decorated with paintings was uncovered in the 18th century within the archbasilica behind the Lancellotti Chapel. A few traces of older buildings were also revealed during the excavations of 1880, when the work of extending the apse was in progress, but nothing of importance was published.[citation needed]
A great many donations from the Popes and other benefactors to the archbasilica are recorded in theLiber Pontificalis, and its splendor at an early period was such that it became known as the "Basilica Aurea", or "Golden Basilica". This splendor drew upon it theattack of the Vandals, who stripped it of all its treasures.Pope Leo I restored it around AD 460, and it was again restored byPope Hadrian I.
In 897, it was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake:ab altari usque ad portas cecidit ("it collapsed from the altar to the doors"). The damage was so extensive that it was difficult to trace the lines of the old building, but these were mostly respected and the new building was of the same dimensions as the old. This second basilica stood for 400 years before it burned in 1308. It was rebuilt byPope Clement V andPope John XXII. It burned once more in 1360, and was rebuilt byPope Urban V.
Through vicissitudes the archbasilica retained its ancient form, being divided by rows of columns into aisles, and having in front aperistyle surrounded by colonnades with a fountain in the middle, the conventional Late Antique format that was also followed by the oldSaint Peter's Basilica. The façade had three windows and was embellished with a mosaic representing Christ as the Savior of the world.
The porticoes were frescoed, probably not earlier than the 12th century, commemorating theRoman fleet underVespasian, the taking ofJerusalem, the Baptism ofEmperor Constantine I and his"Donation" of the Papal States to theCatholic Church. Inside the archbasilica the columns no doubt ran, as in all other basilicas of the same date, the whole length of the church, from east to west.
In one of the rebuildings, probably that which was carried out byPope Clement V, a transverse nave was introduced, imitated no doubt from the one which had been added, long before this, to theBasilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Probably at this time the archbasilica was enlarged.[citation needed]
Thesedia stercoraria where Psalm 112 was sung in the distant past
Some portions of the older buildings survive. Among them the pavement of medievalCosmatesque work, and the statues ofSaint Peter andSaint Paul, now in thecloister. The gracefulciborium over the high altar, which looks out of place in its present surroundings,[according to whom?] dates from 1369. The throne of red marble on which the Popes sat, is now in theVatican Museums. It was part of a pair, but the other was plundered and taken away byNapoleon and is now in the Louvre. Another papal throne, thesedia stercoraria, is now in theLateran Cloister. It owes its unsavory name to the anthem sung at previous Papal coronations, "Destercore erigens pauperem" ("lifting up the poor out of the dunghill", fromPsalm 112).
From the 5th century, there were seven oratories surrounding the archbasilica. These before long were incorporated into the church. The devotion of visiting these oratories, which was maintained through the Mediaeval Ages, gave rise to the similar devotion of the seven altars, still common in many churches of Rome and elsewhere.
Of the façade byAlessandro Galilei (1735), the cliché assessment[by whom?] has been that it is the façade of apalace, not of a church. Galilei's front, which is a screen across the older front creating anarthex or vestibule, does express the nave and double aisles of the archbasilica, which required a central bay wider than the rest of the sequence. Galilei provided it, without abandoning the range of identical arch-headed openings, by extending the central window by flanking columns that support the arch, in the familiarSerlian motif.
Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, Lithograph, 1825
By bringing the central bay forward very slightly, and capping it with a pediment that breaks into the roof balustrade, Galilei provided an entrance doorway on a more than colossal scale, framed in the paired colossalCorinthian pilasters that tie together the façade in the manner introduced atMichelangelo'spalace on the Campidoglio.
In the narthex of the church, is a 4th-century statue of emperor Constantine. It was found elsewhere in Rome, and moved to this site by order ofPope Clement XII.
Between the archbasilica and the city wall there was a great monastery, in which dwelt the community of monks whose duty it was to provide the services in the archbasilica. The only part of it which still survives is the 13th centurycloister, surrounded bycolumns of inlaidmarble. They are of a style intermediate between theRomanesque proper and theGothic, and are the work ofVassellectus and theCosmati.[citation needed]
The twelve niches created inFrancesco Borromini's architecture were left vacant for decades. When in 1702Pope Clement XI andBenedetto Cardinal Pamphili, archpriests of the archbasilica, announced their grand scheme for twelve larger-than-life sculptures of theApostles (Judas Iscariot replaced bySaint Paul, instead ofSaint Matthias) to fill the niches, the commission was opened to all the premier sculptors of lateBaroque Rome.[d] Each statue was to be sponsored by an illustrious prince with the Pope himself sponsoring that ofSaint Peter and Cardinal Pamphili that ofSaint John the Evangelist. Most of the sculptors were given a sketch drawn by Pope Clement's favorite painter,Carlo Maratta, to which they were to adhere, but with the notable exception beingPierre Le Gros the Younger, who successfully refused to sculpt to Maratta's design and consequently was not given a sketch.[21]
The sculptors and their sculptures follow and are dated according to Conforti (the dates reflect archival findings but models for most must have existed before):
The octagonal Lateran baptistery stands somewhat apart from the archbasilica. It was founded byPope Sixtus III, perhaps on an earlier structure, for a legend arose thatEmperor Constantine I was baptized there and enriched the edifice. The baptistery was for many generations the only baptistery in Rome, and its octagonal structure, centered upon the large basin for full immersions, provided a model for others throughout Italy, and even an iconic motif ofilluminated manuscripts known as "thefountain of life".
TheScala Sancta, or Holy Stairs, are white marble steps encased in wooden ones. They supposedly form the staircase which once led to the praetorium ofPontius Pilate inJerusalem and which, therefore, were sanctified by the footsteps ofJesus Christ during HisPassion. The marble stairs are visible through openings in the wooden risers. Their translation from Jerusalem to the Lateran Palace in the 4th century is credited toSaint Empress Helena, the mother of the then-EmperorConstantine I. In 1589,Pope Sixtus V relocated the steps to their present location in front of the ancient palatine chapel named theSancta Sanctorum.Ferraù Fenzoni completed some of the frescoes on the walls.
Tabula Magna Lateranensis (13th century), located on the left side of the sacristy door, in which are listed the main relics preserved in the basilica.
Thirteenth-century panel similar to the Tabula Magna Lateranensis (the title at the top, added in the nineteenth century, is misleading), located on the right side of the sacristy door, describing some works done in the ninth century.
Arcibasilica Papale Romana Maggiore di San Giovanni in Laterano(Italian)
Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ac Sanctorum Ioannis Baptistae et Ioannis Evangelistae ad Lateranum(Latin)
^Italian:Papale arcibasilica maggiore cattedrale del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano
^"The largest sculptural task in Rome during the early eighteenth century," perRudolf Wittkower,Art and Architecture in Italy, 1600–1750, Revised Edition, 1965, p. 290, provides that "the distribution for commissions is, at the same time, a good yardstick for measuring the reputation of contemporary sculptors."
^abc"Basilica Papale" (in Italian). Vicariatus Urbis: Portal of the Diocese of Rome. Archived fromthe original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved7 November 2013.
^Jesse D. Billett (2014).The Divine Office in Anglo-Saxon England, 597-c.1000. Boydell & Brewer. p. 86.ISBN9781907497285.
^John Saward, John Morrill, Michael Tomko (2013).Firmly I Believe and Truly: The Spiritual Tradition of Catholic England. OUP Oxford. p. 679.ISBN9780199677948.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Helen Lunnon (2020).East Anglian Church Porches and Their Medieval Context. Boydell & Brewer. p. 25.ISBN9781783275267.
^Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI (1997). "Dedication of St. John Lateran".My First Book of Saints. Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate – Quality Catholic Publications. pp. 265–266.ISBN971-91595-4-5.
^abFanny Davenport and Rogers MacVeagh,Fountains of Papal Rome (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1915), pp. 156 et seq.
^abLunde, Paul (March–April 1979)."A Forest of Obelisks".Saudi Aramco World. Houston, Texas: Aramco Services Company. pp. 28–32. Retrieved7 November 2013.
^abCf. Michael Conforti,The Lateran Apostles, unpublished Ph. D. thesis (Harvard University, 1977); Conforti published a short resume of his dissertation:Planning the Lateran Apostles, in Henry A. Millon (editor),Studies in Italian Art and Architecture 15th through 18th Centuries, (Rome, 1980) (Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome 35), pp. 243–60.
^abMoroni, Gaetano (1840–1861).Dizionario di Erudizione Storico–Ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai Nostri Giorni (in Italian). Vol. 12. Venezia: Tipografia Emiliana. p. 31.
Claussen, Peter C.; Senekovic, Darko (2008).S. Giovanni in Laterano. Mit einem Beitrag von Darko Senekovic über S. Giovanni in Fonte, in Corpus Cosmatorum, Volume 2, 2. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.ISBN978-3-515-09073-5.
Krautheimer, Richard; Frazer, Alfred; Corbett, Spencer (1937–1977).Corpus Basilicarum Christianarum Romae: The Early Christian Basilicas of Rome (IV–IX Centuries). Vatican City: Pontificio Istituto di Archeologia Cristiana (Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology).OCLC163156460.
Webb, Matilda (2001).The Churches and Catacombs of Early Christian Rome. Brighton: Sussex Academic Press. p. 41.ISBN1-902210-57-3.
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