The late Baroque façade of the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano was completed by Alessandro Galilei in 1735 after winning a competition for the design.

Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano — known in English as Saint John Lateran Basilica — is one of the five great ancient basilicas of Rome. The Roman Catholic Church counts among them St. Lawrence outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, St. Peter and St. Paul outside the Walls. Originally called Basilica Salvatoris and Archbasilica of the Holy Savior, it is the oldest and ranks first among the great basilicas. It holds the title of motherchurch. It is also the cathedral church of the popes. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed in Europe between 753 BC and its downfall in AD 476. ... The Basilica of St. ... Location within Italy The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma) is the capital city of Italy and of its Latium region. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ... The Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura is a shrine to the martyred Roman deacon, Saint Lawrence. ... In Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christianity, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest and most important place of worship dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. ... Interior view, with the nave of the Basilica in the back St. ... The Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura is believed to be the final resting place of Saint Paul the Apostle of Jesus. ... A motherchurch or mother church in Christianity is used in three forms. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy (such as the Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican churches), which serves as the central church of a bishopric. ... A church building is a building used in Christian worship. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ...

Lateran Palace

The site on which the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano sits was occupied during the Early Empire by the palace of the Lateranus family. The Laterani served as administrators for several emperors; Sextius Lateranus was the first plebeian to attain the rank of consul. One of the Laterani, Consul-designate Plautius Lateranus, became famous for being accused by Nero of conspiracy against the emperor. The accusation resulted in the confiscation of his properties. Roman Empire between AD 60 and 400 with major cities. ... The quintessential medieval European palace: Palais de la Cité, in Paris, the royal palace of France. ... Look up Administrator in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Administrator may refer to— Administrators of the Government in various Commonwealth Realms and territories. ... An emperor is a monarch and sovereign ruler of an empire or any other imperial realm. ... In Ancient Rome, the plebs was the general body of Roman citizens, distinct from the privileged class of the patricians. ... For modern diplomatic consuls, see Consulate general. ... Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (15 December 37–9 June 68), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called (50 - 54 AD) Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. ...

The Lateran Palace fell into the hands of the emperor when Constantine married his second wife Fausta, sister of Maxentius. Known by that time as the "Domus Faustae" or "House of Fausta," the Lateran Palace was eventually given to the Roman Catholic Church as a gift from the first Christian emperor. The actual date of the gift is unknown but scholars believe it had to have been during the pontificate of Pope Miltiades, in time to host a consistory of bishops in 313. The synod convened to challenge the Donatist schism, declaring Donatism as heresy. By that time the Lateran Palace was beginning to be known as the Palace of the Popes. The palace basilica was converted and extended, eventually becoming the cathedral of Rome. From the beginning of the 4th Century, when it was given to the Pope by Constantine, the Palace of the Lateran on Piazza San Giovanni in south-east Rome was the principal residence of the Popes, and continued so for about a thousand years. ... Constantine. ... Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius, Western Roman Emperor from AD 306 to 312, was the son of Maximian, and the son-in-law of Galerius. ... Miltiades, or Melchiades (other forms of the name being Meltiades, Melciades, Milciades, and Miltides) was Pope from July 10, 310 or 311 to January 10 or 11, 314. ... A consistory is a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who holds a specific position of authority in any of a number of Christian churches. ... Events February - Conference of Milan. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine or administration. ... The word schism, from the Greek σχισμα, schisma (from σχιζο, schizo, to split), means a division or a split, usually in an organization. ... The Donatists (founded by the Berber christian Donatus) were followers of a belief considered a heresy by the Roman Catholic Church. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... The Palace of the Popes is the name shared by several locations in which the popes of the Roman Catholic Church have taken residence. ... The Basilica of St. ...

The official dedication of the Lateran Palace and basilica was presided by Pope Sylvester I in 324, declaring both as "Domus Dei" or "House of God." In reflection of the basilica's primacy in Rome as motherchurch, the words "Sacrosancta Lateranensis ecclesia omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput" or "Most Holy Lateran Church, of all the churches in the city and the world, the mother and head" was incised across the façade. ... Events Constantine becomes the sole emperor of the Roman Empire. ... A motherchurch or mother church in Christianity is used in three forms. ...

Twice the Lateran Palace and basilica have been rededicated. Pope Sergius III dedicated them to Saint John the Baptist in the 10th century in honor of the newly consecrated basilica baptistry. Pope Lucius II dedicated the Lateran Palace and basilica to Saint John the Evangelist in the 12th century. The church became the most important shrine in honor of the two saints, not often jointly venerated. In later years, a Benedictine monastery was established at the Lateran Palace, devoted to serving the basilica as a devotional to the two saints. Pope Sergius III, scion of Benedictus, of a noble Roman family, reigned in two intervals between 897 and April 14, 911, during a period of feudal violence and disorder in central Italy, where the Papacy was a pawn of warring aristocratic factions. ... John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer or John the Dipper) is regarded as a prophet by at least three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeanism. ... ( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Christen redirects here. ... Lucius II, né Gherardo Caccianemici dal Orso (d. ... Categories: Saints | Ancient Roman Christianity | Christianity-related stubs ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... A Benedictine is a person who follows the Rule of Saint Benedict, whether belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, or to one of the Anglican or Protestant churches. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ... Devotional songs are hymns that accompany religious rituals. ...

Every pope since Miltiades occupied the Lateran Palace until the reign of the French Pope Clement V, who in 1309 decided to transfer the official seat of the Church to Avignon, a papal fief that was an enclave within France. During the Avignon papacy, the Lateran Palace and the basilica began to decline. Two destructive fires rampaged through the Lateran Palace and the basilica, in 1307 and again in 1361. In both cases, the Avignon papacy sent money to their bishops in Rome to cover costs in reconstruction and maintenance. Despite the action, the Lateran Palace and the basilica lost its former splendor. Clement V, né Bertrand de Gouth (1264 - April 20, 1314) was pope from 1305 to 1314. ... Events Rhodes falls to forces of the Knights of St. ... Coat of arms of Avignon Avignon (pronounced in IPA, Provençal: Avignoun) is a commune in southern France with some 88,300 inhabitants in the city itself and 155,500 in the Greater Avignon area. ... The Avignon papacy refers to a period in the history of the Roman Catholic Church from 1305 to 1378 when the seat of the pope was moved from Rome to Avignon. ... Events October 13 - All France are simultaneously arrested by agents of Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into admitting heresy. ... Events Founding of the University of Pavia, Italy. ...

When the Avignon papacy formally ended and the pope again claimed the title of Bishop of Rome, the Lateran Palace and the basilica were deemed inadequate considering the accumulated damage. The popes claimed residency at the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere and later at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Eventually, the Palace of the Vatican was constructed and the papacy moved in; the papacy remains there today. Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of the oldest churches in Rome. ... In Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christianity, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the largest and most important place of worship dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. ... The Palace of the Vatican, also called the Papal Palace or the Apostolic Palace, is the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City. ...

Pope Sixtus V tore down the original Lateran Palace and basilica and commissioned replacements. The rebuilt Lateran Palace and the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano became separate entities. Today the Lateran Palace is home to the Pontifical Museum of Christian Antiquities. Sixtus V, né Felice Peretti (December 13, 1521 - August 27, 1590) was pope from 1585 to 1590. ... The Pontifical Museum of Christian Antiquities is a museum founded by the popes of the Roman Catholic Church housed in the Lateran Palace, adjacent to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterno. ...

The square in front of the Lateran Palace has an obelisk built by Tuthmosis III in Karnak, and placed in Circus Maximus before being transferred in its current place. From the beginning of the 4th Century, when it was given to the Pope by Constantine, the Palace of the Lateran on Piazza San Giovanni in south-east Rome was the principal residence of the Popes, and continued so for about a thousand years. ... For the obelisk punctuation mark, see dagger (typography). ... Thutmose III (also written as Tuthmosis III; called Manahpi(r)ya in the Amarna letters) (? - 1426 BC), was Pharaoh of Egypt in the Eighteenth Dynasty. ... Karnak is a village in Egypt that was once part of the ancient capital of Egypt, Thebes. ... Map of downtown Rome during the Roman Empire, with Circus Maximus at the lower right corner Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus is an ancient arena and mass entertainment venue located in Rome, Italy. ...

The Lateran Palace has also been the site of five Ecumenical councils. See Lateran councils. From the beginning of the 4th Century, when it was given to the Pope by Constantine, the Palace of the Lateran on Piazza San Giovanni in south-east Rome was the principal residence of the Popes, and continued so for about a thousand years. ... In Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, an ecumenical council is a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. ... The Lateran councils were ecclesiastical councils or synods of the Catholic Church held at Rome in the Lateran Palace next to the Lateran Basilica. ...

Reconstruction

There were several attempts at reconstruction of the basilica before Pope Sixtus V's definitive project. Sixtus hired his favorite architect Domenico Fontana to oversee much of the project. Further renovation of the interior ensued under the direction of Francesco Borromini, commissioned by Pope Innocent X. The vision of Pope Clement XII for reconstruction was an ambitious one: he launched a competition to design a new façade. The winner of the competition was Alessandro Galilei. The façade as it appears today was completed in 1735. Galilei's façade however removed all vestiges of traditional ancient basilica architecture. Domenico Fontana ( 1543 – 1607) was a Roman architect of the late Renaissance. ... Francesco Borromini (Bissone near Lugano, Switzerland, September 25, 1599 - Rome, Italy, August 3, 1667) was a Baroque architect, and active in Rome alongside the more prolific papal architect, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. ... Innocent X né Giovanni Battista Pamphili (May 6, 1574 – January 5, 1655) was Pope from 1644 to 1655. ... Clement XII, born as Lorenzo Corsini (Florence, April 7, 1652 – Rome, February 6, 1740), (pope 1730‑1740), had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding pontiffs. ... Events 16 April - The London premiere of Alcina by George Frideric Handel, his first the first Italian opera for the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. ...

Architectural history

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" of Pope Leo III, which was the state banqueting hall. The existing structure is not ancient, but it is possible that some portions of the original mosaics have been preserved in a three-part mosaic: in the centre Christ gives their mission to the Apostles, on the left he gives the keys to St. Sylvester and the Labarum to Constantine, while on the right St. Peter gives the stole to Leo III and the standard to Charlemagne. Leo III (died June 12, 816) was Pope from 795 to 816. ... An image of the labarum, with the letters Alpha and Omega inscribed. ... A Frankish king, like Charlemagne, (center) depicted in the Sacramentary of Charles the Bald (about 870) Charlemagne (c. ...

Some few remains of the original buildings may still be traced in the city walls outside the Gate of St. John, and a large wall decorated with paintings was uncovered in the 18th century within the basilica itself, behind the Lancellotti Chapel. A few traces of older buildings also came to light during the excavations made in 1880, when the work of extending the apse was in progress, but nothing was then discovered of real value or importance. The defensive wall of Braşov, Romania. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

A great many donations from the popes and other benefactors to the basilica are recorded in the Liber Pontificalis, and its splendour at an early period was such that it became known as the "Basilica Aurea", or Golden Basilica. This splendour drew upon it the attack of the Vandals, who stripped it of all its treasures. St. Leo the Great restored it about 460, and it was again restored by Pope Hadrian, but in 896 it was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake— ab altari usque ad portas cecidit "it collapsed from the altar to the doors"— damage so extensive that it was difficult to trace the lines of the old building, but these were in the main respected and the new building was of the same dimensions as the old. This second church lasted for four hundred years and then burnt in 1308. It was rebuilt by Pope Clement V and Pope John XXII, only to be burnt down once more in 1360, but again rebuilt by Pope Urban V. The Book of the Popes or the Liber Pontificalis is a major source for early medieval history and one that has received intense critical scrutiny. ... The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire, and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ... Leo I was Pope from 440 to 461. ... Events March 27 night - Swabians invade the Gallic city of Lugo. ... Adrian, or Hadrian I, (died December 25, 795) was pope from 772 to 795. ... Events The Bulgarians, under Simeon I, defeat the Byzantine Empire at Bulgarophygon. ... Clement V, né Bertrand de Gouth (1264 - April 20, 1314) was pope from 1305 to 1314. ... Pope John XXII, né Jacques dEuse (1249 - December 4, 1334),was the son of a shoemaker in Cahors. ... Events Treaty of Brétigny King Valdemar Atterdag of Denmark seizes Scania (from 1658 a Swedish province). ... Urban V, né Guillaume de Grimoald (1310 - December 19, 1370), pope from 1362 to 1370, was a native of Grisae in Languedoc. ...

Through these various vicissitudes the basilica retained its ancient form, being divided by rows of columns into aisles, and having in front a peristyle surrounded by colonnades with a fountain in the middle, the conventional Late Antique format that was also followed by the old St Peter's. The façade had three windows, and was embellished with a mosaic representing Christ, the Saviour of the World. The porticoes were frescoed, probably not dating further back than the twelfth century, commemorating the Roman fleet under Vespasian, the taking of Jerusalem, the Baptism of the Emperor Constantine and his "Donation" of the Papal States to the Church. Inside the basilica the columns no doubt ran, as in all other basilicas of the same date, the whole length of the church from east to west, but at one of the rebuildings, probably that which was carried out by Clement V, the feature of a transverse nave was introduced, imitated no doubt from the one which had been, long before this, added at Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. It was probably at this time also that the church was enlarged. In Roman architecture a peristyle is a columned porch or open colonnade in a building that surrounds a court that may contain an internal garden. ... Interior view, with the nave of the Cattedra in the back St. ... The Roman Navy (Latin: Classis) operated between the First Punic war and the end of the Western Roman Empire. ... Emperor Vespasian Caesar Vespasianus Augustus (November 18, CE 9 – June 23, 79), originally known as Titus Flavius Vespasianus and best known as Vespasian, was the emperor of Rome from 69 to 79. ... Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim; Arabic: القدس al-Quds; see also names of Jerusalem) is an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ... The Donation of Constantine (Latin, Constitutum Donatio Constantini) is a allegedly fraudulent Roman imperial edict, issued by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 324, which purported to grant Pope Sylvester I and his successors sovereignty and spiritual authority over Rome, Italy, and the entire Western Roman Empire. ... The Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura is believed to be the final resting place of Saint Paul the Apostle of Jesus. ...

Some portions of the older buildings still survive. Among them the pavement of medieval Cosmatesque work, and the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul, now in the cloisters. The graceful baldacchino over the high altar, which looks so utterly out of place in its present surroundings, dates from 1369. The stercoraria, or throne of red marble on which the popes sat, is now in the Vatican Museums. It owes its unsavoury name to the anthem sung at the papal enthronement, "De stercore erigens pauperem" ("lifting up the poor out of the dunghill", from Psalm 112). From the fifth century there were seven oratories surrounding the basilica. These before long were incorporated in the church. The devotion of visiting these oratories, which held its ground all through the medieval period, gave rise to the similar devotion of the seven altars, still common in many churches of Rome and elsewhere. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ... Saint Paul, or Paul of Tarsus, is a Christian saint, who has lent his name to a number of places and things: Buildings and institutions Churches St Pauls Cathedral in London, England, designed by Christopher Wren St Pauls Cathedral (Macau) in Macau St Pauls Cathedral, Melbourne in... Cloister of Saint Trophimus, in Arles, France A Cloister is part of cathedrals and abbeys architecture. ... Events King Charles V of France renounces the treaty of Brétigny and war is declared between France and England. ... Categories: Stub | Vatican City ...

Lateran cloister

Between the basilica and the city wall there was in former times the great monastery, in which dwelt the community of monks whose duty it was to provide the services in the basilica. The only part of it which still survives is the cloister, surrounded by graceful columns of inlaid marble. They are of a style intermediate between the Romanesque proper and the Gothic, and are the work of Vassellectus and the Cosmati. This beautiful cloister dates to the early 13th century. Romanesque St. ... Gothic architecture characterizes any of the styles of European architecture, particularly associated with cathedrals and other churches, in use throughout Europe during the high and late medieval period, from the 12th century onwards. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ...

Lateran bapistry

Main article: Lateran Baptistery.

The octagonal Lateran Bapistry stands somewhat apart from the basilica. It was founded by Pope Sixtus III, perhaps on an earlier structure, for a legend grew up that Constantine the Great had been baptized there and enriched the structure. (He was actually baptised in the East, by an Arian bishop.) This baptistry 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 of illuminated manuscripts, "The fountain of Life". Sixtus III (d. ... Constantine. ... Arianism was a Christological view held by followers of Arius in the early Christian Church, claiming that Jesus Christ and God the Father were not always contemporary, seeing the Son as a divine being, created by the Father (and consequently inferior to Him) at some point in time, before which... An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript, often of a religious nature, in which the text is supplemented by the addition of colourful ornamentation, such as decorated initials, borders and the like. ...

See also

• Early Christian art and architecture

Early Christian art and architecture is the art produced by Christians or under Christian patronage from about the year 200 to about the year 500. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia Article on the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09014b.htm)
• Illustrated Guide of the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (http://www.italycyberguide.com/Geography/cities/rome2000/L12.htm)
• Lateran entry from "Guide to the Churches of Rome" (http://roma.katolsk.no/giovannilaterano.htm)