Basilica of St. John Lateran

The the first of the four major papal basilicas, the oldest basilica in the West, and the Mother of all Churches in the World, is the cathedral of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.

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Its history dates back to the 4th century when Emperor Constantine donated the land of the Horti Laterani to Pope Miltiades for the construction of a domus ecclesiae (house church).

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Consecrated in 325 AD, the Basilica was the papal residence until 1304.

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For over a millennium, the Popes resided in the Patriarchium, the papal palace adjacent to the Basilica, commissioned by Constantine. The Patriarchium included the private apartments of the pontiff and his private chapel.

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The Basilica has undergone numerous reconstructions over the centuries.

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Access is through five doors in the portico; the last one on the right is the Porta Santa (Holy Door), formerly called the Porta Aurea (Golden Door), opened only during Jubilee years. The interior has a five-nave plan, divided by columns modified by Francesco Borromini between 1646 and 1649. The Cosmatesque pavement, dating back to 1425, is the work of master craftsmen. At the end of the central nave is the tabernacle, which houses the reliquaries containing the heads of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

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With its grandeur and its millennial history, the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano remains an eternal symbol of the Christian faith, a place where the past and the present meet in a spiritual embrace.