Sign in

Basilica of St. John Lateran

Shrine & Basilica Not Applicable
Rome, Italy 4th century Feast day: November 9

The cathedral of Rome and 'mother of all churches,' the pope's cathedral church.

Save to my journey Mark as visited
Plan a trip here

The Story

The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior, known as St. John Lateran, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the seat of the pope as Bishop of Rome. Its dedication inscription calls it "mother and head of all the churches of the city and the world," and among the four papal major basilicas it holds the first rank — older in dignity even than St. Peter's. The basilica rises on land once belonging to the Laterani family, given over to the Church in the time of the Emperor Constantine. Dedicated in 324 under Pope Sylvester I, it was the first great public church of Rome, consecrated to Christ the Savior and later placed also under the patronage of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. For roughly a thousand years the adjoining Lateran Palace was the residence of the popes, and five ecumenical councils — the Lateran Councils — met here between 1123 and 1512. The building has been damaged and restored many times through fire, earthquake, and age. Its present appearance owes much to Francesco Borromini's seventeenth-century renovation of the nave and to the monumental eighteenth-century facade of Alessandro Galilei, crowned by colossal statues of Christ and the saints. Within are the papal cathedra, the tombs of several popes, and the Gothic baldachin above the papal altar, in which tradition places reliquaries associated with the Apostles Peter and Paul. Nearby stands the Scala Santa, the staircase that tradition identifies with Pilate's praetorium in Jerusalem, climbed by pilgrims on their knees. The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica is kept on November 9 by the whole Latin Church — a sign that every local church is bound in communion with the Church of Rome. Pilgrims visit the archbasilica especially during jubilee years, when its Holy Door is opened.

Church Recognition

St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome and the first-ranking of the four papal major basilicas; the feast of its dedication on November 9 is celebrated on the General Roman Calendar throughout the Latin Church.

Catholic Teaching

The Catechism teaches that visible churches are signs of the living Church, God's dwelling with humanity (CCC 1179–1186); the universal celebration of the Lateran's dedication expresses each local church's communion with the See of Peter (CCC 882–887).

Plan Your Visit

Open only what you need.

Practical

Additional Information

One of the four papal major basilicas; the dedication is celebrated across the Church on November 9.

Go Deeper

See the archbasilica's official website at https://www.basilicasangiovanni.va, along with CCC 1179–1186 on churches as sacred signs and the liturgy of the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (November 9).

Location

Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →

In the Area

Other sacred sites within 40 miles.