Italic Text and Illustrations taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia)
(unless otherwise accredited).
Italiano: Facciata principale della
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Roma),
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Roma),
progettata da Alessandro Galilei (1735).
Français: Façade principale de la
basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran
basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran
(Rome) par Alessandro Galilei, 1735.
Photo: 2006/09/07.
Source: Own work.
Author: Jastrow.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The official name, in Latin, is Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris et Sanctorum Iohannes Baptista et Evangelista in Laterano, which translates in English as Arch-Basilica of the Most Holy Saviour and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist at the Lateran, and in Italian as Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano.
English: Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
With its length of 400 feet, this Basilica ranks fifteenth
among the largest Churches in the world.
With its length of 400 feet, this Basilica ranks fifteenth
among the largest Churches in the world.
Français: Basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran, Vatican,
située à Rome, Latium, Italie. Avec sa longueur de 121,84 mètres,
cette Basilique se classe au 15è rang parmi les plus grandes églises au monde.
située à Rome, Latium, Italie. Avec sa longueur de 121,84 mètres,
cette Basilique se classe au 15è rang parmi les plus grandes églises au monde.
Photo: September 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)
It is the oldest, and ranks first, among the four Papal Basilicas or Major Basilicas of Rome (having the Cathedra of the Bishop of Rome). It claims the title of Ecumenical Mother Church among Roman Catholics. The current Arch-Priest of Saint John Lateran is Agostino Vallini, Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome.
The President of the French Republic is, "Ex-Officio", the first and only Honorary Canon of the Basilica, a title inherited from the Kings of France, who have held it since Henry IV of France.
An inscription on the façade, "Christo Salvatori", indicates the Church's dedication to "Christ the Saviour", for the Cathedrals of all Patriarchs are dedicated to Christ, Himself. As the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, it ranks above all other Churches in the Catholic Church, including Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City. For that reason, unlike all other Roman Basilicas, it holds the title of Arch-Basilica. The Cathedral is located outside of the Vatican boundaries, within the city of Rome. However, it has been granted a special "extra-territorial status" as one of the properties of the Holy See. This is also the case with several other buildings, after the solving of the Roman Question with the Lateran Treaty. The Lateran Basilica is adjacent to the Lateran Palace.
François Hollande aux Journées de Nantes,
organisées par le Nouvel Observateur, La Cité, Nantes.
organisées par le Nouvel Observateur, La Cité, Nantes.
Photo: January 2012.
Author: Jean-Marc Ayrault.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The President of the French Republic, in 2012 it was François Hollande,
is "Ex-Officio" the first and only Honorary Canon of the Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
a title inherited from the Kings of France, who have held it since Henry IV of France.
is "Ex-Officio" the first and only Honorary Canon of the Arch-Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
a title inherited from the Kings of France, who have held it since Henry IV of France.
Substantial remains of the fort lie directly beneath the Basilica Nave. The rest of the Basilica site was occupied during the early Roman Empire by the Palace of the gens Laterani. 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 and re-distribution of his properties.
The Lateran Palace fell into the hands of the Emperor when Emperor Constantine I 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 Bishop of Rome by Constantine. The actual date of the gift is unknown, but scholars believe it had to be during the Pontificate of Pope Miltiades, in time to host a Synod of Bishops in 313 A.D., that was convened to challenge the Donatist Schism, declaring Donatism as Heresy. The Palace Basilica was converted and extended, becoming the residence of Pope Saint Sylvester I, eventually becoming the Cathedral of Rome, the Seat of the Popes, as Bishops of Rome.
One of the sculptures of the Twelve Apostles
in the Niches of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
in the Niches of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
It shows Saint Matthew as the Tax Collector.
Artist: Camillo Rusconi (1658–1728).
Date: From 1713 until 1715.
Current Location: San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome.
Photo: September 2006.
Photographer: Marie-Lan Nguyen.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Lateran Palace and Basilica have been re-dedicated, twice. Pope Sergius III dedicated them to Saint John the Baptist in the 10th-Century, in honour of the newly-Consecrated Baptistry of the Basilica. Pope Lucius II dedicated the Lateran Palace and Basilica to Saint John the Evangelist in the 12th-Century. However, Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist are regarded as Co-Patrons of the Cathedral, the chief Patron being Christ the Saviour, Himself, as the inscription in the entrance of the Basilica indicates, and as is tradition in the Patriarchal Cathedrals.
Thus, the Basilica remains dedicated to the Saviour, and its Titular Feast is the Transfiguration. That is why, sometimes, the Basilica will be referred to by the full Title of "Arch-Basilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran". The Church became the most important Shrine in honour of the two Saints, not often jointly venerated (but see Peruzzi Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence). In later years, a Benedictine Monastery was established at the Lateran Palace, devoted to serving the Basilica as a devotional to the two Saints.
English: The North facade
of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran
(Loggia delle Benedizioni).
of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran
(Loggia delle Benedizioni).
Deutsch: Das Bild zeigt den Lateranspalast
und das Seitenportal der Lateransbasilika
von der Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano aus.
und das Seitenportal der Lateransbasilika
von der Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano aus.
Italiano: Facciata laterale della
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Roma),
con a sinistra il Palazzo Laterano.
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Roma),
con a sinistra il Palazzo Laterano.
Photo: 28.09.2004.
User: Maus-Trauden.
(Wikimedia Commons)
During the Avignon Papacy, the Lateran Palace and the Basilica began to decline. Two destructive fires ravaged 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 the costs of reconstruction and maintenance. Despite the action, the Lateran Palace and the Basilica lost their former splendour.
When the Avignon Papacy formally ended and the Pope again resided in Rome, the Lateran Palace and the Basilica were deemed inadequate, considering the accumulated damage. The Popes took up residency at the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere and, later, at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.
English: The Cloisers of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome.
Italiano: Chiostro della Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano,
Roma, Italy.
Roma, Italy.
Photo: October 2005.
Source: Flickr.
Author: Ern.
Mac9.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The Cloisters of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Photo: May 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Briséis.
(Wikimedia Commons)
There were several attempts at reconstruction of the Basilica before Pope Sixtus V's definitive project. Pope Sixtus hired his favorite architect, Domenico Fontana, to oversee much of the project.
English: The Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy,
1752.
da Le Piazze principali con obelischi, colonne ed altri ornamenti.
Artist: Giuseppe Vasi (1710 - 1782).
Date: 1752.
Credit: Originally Uploaded by de: Benutzer:Maus-Trauden.
Source/Photographer: [1], from de:wiki with these data:
Vasi: Lateranspalast Quelle: Giuseppe Vasi:
''Le Piazze principali con obelischi, colonne ed altri ornamenti'' - 1752
Vasi: Lateranspalast Quelle: Giuseppe Vasi:
''Le Piazze principali con obelischi, colonne ed altri ornamenti'' - 1752
Caption: Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano {{Bild-PD}}.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The original Lateran Palace was torn down and replaced with a new building. On the square, in front of the Lateran Palace, is the largest standing obelisk in the world, known as the Lateran Obelisk (weight estimated at 455 tons). Its manufacture was started by Thutmose III and it was erected by Thutmose IV before the great Karnak temple of Thebes, Egypt.
Intended by Constantine I to be shipped to Constantinople, the very preoccupied Constantius II had it shipped, instead, to Rome, where it was re-erected in the Circus Maximus in 357 A.D. At some time, it broke and was buried under the Circus. In the 16th-Century, it was located and dug up, and Sixtus V had it re-erected on a new Pedestal.
Further renovation on the Interior of the Basilica ensued, under the direction of Francesco Borromini, commissioned by Pope Innocent X. The twelve Niches, created by his architecture, came to be filled, by 1718, with statues of the Apostles, using the most prominent Roman Rococo sculptors.
The vision of Pope Clement XII for reconstruction was an ambitious one: he launched a competition to design a new façade. Over 23 architects, mostly working in the current Baroque idiom, competed. The putatively impartial jury was Chaired by Sebastiano Conca, president of the Roman Academy of Saint Luke. 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, and imparted a Neo-Classical facade.
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 the three-part mosaic of its Niche: In the centre, Christ gives their mission to the Apostles; on the left, he gives the Keys to Saint Sylvester and the Labarum to Constantine, while, on the right, Saint Peter gives the Papal Stole to Leo III and the Standard to Charlemagne.
Some few remains of the original buildings may still be traced in the City Walls, outside the Gate of Saint 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 published of real value or importance.
Further renovation on the Interior of the Basilica ensued, under the direction of Francesco Borromini, commissioned by Pope Innocent X. The twelve Niches, created by his architecture, came to be filled, by 1718, with statues of the Apostles, using the most prominent Roman Rococo sculptors.
Lithograph of Pope John X, made before 1923.
This image: March 2013.
User: The Theosophist.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Pope John X (914 A.D. - 928 A.D.) was the first Pope buried within the walls of Rome.
He was granted such a prominent burial due to rumours that he was murdered
by Theodora, during a historical period known as the Pornocracy.
Cardinals Vincenso Santucci and Carlo Colonna are also buried in Saint John Lateran.
He was granted such a prominent burial due to rumours that he was murdered
by Theodora, during a historical period known as the Pornocracy.
Cardinals Vincenso Santucci and Carlo Colonna are also buried in Saint John Lateran.
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 the three-part mosaic of its Niche: In the centre, Christ gives their mission to the Apostles; on the left, he gives the Keys to Saint Sylvester and the Labarum to Constantine, while, on the right, Saint Peter gives the Papal Stole to Leo III and the Standard to Charlemagne.
Some few remains of the original buildings may still be traced in the City Walls, outside the Gate of Saint 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 published of real value or importance.
Pope Leo XIII in 1880.
Source: 1880 book on Pope Leo XIII.
Author: Karl Benzinger.
This Image: February 2012.
User: Fma12.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Pope Leo XIII (1878 - 1903) was the last Pope not to be
entombed in Saint Peter's Basilica. His tomb is in Saint John Lateran.
entombed in Saint Peter's Basilica. His tomb is in Saint John Lateran.
In 1889, Pope Leo XIII authorised the founding of The Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C., and granted it Papal Degrees in Theology.
Among the activities of Leo XIII, that were important for the English-speaking world, he restored the Scottish hierarchy in 1878. In the following year, on 12 May 1879, raised to the rank of Cardinal the convert Clergyman, John Henry Newman, who was to be Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
In British India, too, Leo XIII established a Catholic hierarchy in 1886, and regulated some long-standing conflicts with the Portuguese authorities. Of outstanding significance, not least for the English-speaking world, was Leo's encyclical, "Apostolicae Curae",
on the invalidity of the Anglican Orders, published in 1896.
A great many donations from 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. Pope Leo I restored it around 460 A.D., and it was again restored by Pope Hadrian I, but, in 897 A.D., 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 burned in 1308. It was rebuilt by Pope Clement V and Pope John XXII, only to be burned down once more in 1360, but again rebuilt by Pope Urban V.
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 Saint Peter's Basilica.
Mass being celebrated in the Basilica
di San Giovanni in Laterano.
di San Giovanni in Laterano.
Photo: May 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Joonasl.
(Wikimedia Commons)
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. However, at one of the re-buildings, probably that which was carried out by Pope Clement V, the feature of a Transverse Nave was introduced, imitated, no doubt, from the one which had been added, long before this, at the Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the-Walls. Probably at this time, the Church was enlarged.
Photo: October 2005.
Source: Flickr.
Author: Ern.
Reviewer: Mac9.
(Wikimedia Commons)
From the 5th-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 Mediaeval period, gave rise to the similar Devotion of the Seven Altars, still common in many Churches.
English: Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy.
Rome, Italy.
North side of the Choir, with the 16th-Century Organ.
Français: Basilique Saint-Jean-de-Latran, Vatican,
située à Rome, Latium, Italie.
située à Rome, Latium, Italie.
Côté nord du chœur, avec les grandes orgues du XVIè siècle.
Photo: September 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)
By bringing the central bay forward, very slightly, and capping it with a Pediment that breaks into the Roof Balustrade, Galilei provides an entrance doorway on a more-than-colossal scale, framed in the paired, colossal, Corinthian Pilasters that tie together the façade in the manner introduced at Michelangelo's Palace on the Campidoglio.
The Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs), wooden steps that encase white marble steps, are, according to Roman Catholic tradition, the staircase leading once to the Praetorium of Pilate at Jerusalem, hence sanctified by the footsteps of Jesus Christ during His Passion. The marble stairs are visible through openings in the wooden risers. Their translation from Jerusalem, to the complex of Palaces that became the ancient Seat of Popes in the 4th-Century, is credited to Saint Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine I.
San Giovanni in Laterano,
Rome, Italy.
Rome, Italy.
Photo: October 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Maros M r a z (Maros).
(Wikimedia Commons)
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 13th-Century Cloister, surrounded by graceful twisted 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.
The octagonal Lateran Baptistry 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 I had been Baptised there and enriched the structure. (He was actually Baptised in the East, by an Arian Bishop.) This Baptistry was, for many generations, the only Baptistry 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".
English: Papal Arms of Pope Leo XIII,
whose tomb is at Saint John Lateran, and not at Saint Peter's.
Français: Armoiries du pape Léon XIII :
D'azur au cyprès de sinople planté sur une plaine
de même accompagné au francs quartier d'une comête
d'or et en pointe de deux flaurs de lys d'argent,
à la fasce d'argent brochant sur le tout.
D'azur au cyprès de sinople planté sur une plaine
de même accompagné au francs quartier d'une comête
d'or et en pointe de deux flaurs de lys d'argent,
à la fasce d'argent brochant sur le tout.
Date: August 2008.
Author: Odejea,
Author: Odejea,
(Wikimedia Commons)
A dozen additional Papal tombs were constructed in the Basilica, starting in the 10th-Century, but were destroyed during two fires that ravaged the Basilica in 1308 and 1361. The remains of these charred tombs were gathered and re-buried in a polyandrum.
The Popes of the destroyed tombs were: Pope John X (914 A.D. - 928 A.D.), Pope Agapetus II (946 A.D. - 955 A.D.), Pope John XII (955 A.D.- 964 A.D.), Pope Paschal II (1099–1118), Pope Callixtus II (1119–1124), Pope Honorius II (1124–1130), Pope Celestine II (1143–1144), Pope Lucius II (1144–1145), Pope Anastasius IV (1153–1154), Pope Clement III (1187–1191), Pope Celestine III (1191–1198), Pope Innocent V (1276). Popes during this period, whose tombs are unknown and who may have been buried in the Lateran Basilica, include: Pope John XVII (1003), Pope John XVIII (1003–1009), and Pope Alexander II (1061–1073).
English: The Lateran Palace (left) situated next to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran,
Rome, Italy.
Rome, Italy.
Deutsch: Das Bild zeigt den Lateranspalast und das Seitenportal der Lateransbasilika
von der Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano aus.
Italiano: Facciata laterale della Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Roma),
con a sinistra il Palazzo Laterano.
Commons upload by Carlomorino.
Source: Originally from de.wikipedia; description page is (was) here Aufnahme: Das Foto wurde von mir im Oktober 2004 gemacht. Copyright: de:GNU-Lizenz 21:33, 11. Feb 2005
Diana 927 x 596 (99.289 Byte) (Lateranspalast).
Author: User Diana on de.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)
The chosen sculptural designs were by some of the most prominent late Baroque sculptors in Rome, including:
Camillo Rusconi, Andrew, Matthew
James the Greater, John the Evangelist
Francesco Moratti, Simon the Zealot
Angelo de' Rossi, James the Less
Giuseppe Mazzuoli, Philip
Lorenzo Ottoni, Thaddeus
Pierre-Étienne Monnot, Peter, Paul
Pierre Le Gros the Younger, Bartholomew, Thomas
In the Liturgical Calendar of the Catholic Church, 9 November is the Feast Day of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran (Dedicatio Basilicae Lateranensis), often referred to in older Missals as the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Saviour (or the Holy Saviour). In view of its role as the Mother Church of the whole inhabited world, this Feast Day is celebrated as a Feast in the present Universal Calendar of the Catholic Church.
