San Giovanni in Laterano

The land where the cathedral church of Rome sits was once occupied by the estate of the Laterani Family. Constantine I obtained the estate in the 4th century when he wed a member of this wealthy patrician family.
Later Constantine donated the domain for the building of a church.
Early structures on the site were damaged by earthquakes, fire, and war. The church we see today dates back to 1646 when Pope Innocent X commissioned the architect Francesco Borromini to restore the basilica which was about to collapse. The current southern façade was added later; it was designed in the 18th century by Alessandro Galilei.

The adjacent Lateran Palace was the official residence of the Pope until it moved to Avignon in 1309. When the popedom moved back to Rome, it settled in the Vatican instead of the Lateran Palace.
The church however remained Rome's principal cathedral.

When Borromini was commissioned to restore the church, his design gave the basilica more of a Baroque look, which was in stark contrast with the old basilica. Of the original basilica, only the cosmatesque floor was kept intact.

The eastern, front façade of San Giovanni in Laterano is probably the most recognizable part of this important basilica. Used in several movies, including Roman Holiday, this façade is topped with large white stone statues of Jesus and his apostles. The ancient bronze doors were taken from the Curia at the Forum Romanum.

Despite the drastic renovations, there are still some historic remains visible such as a fragment of a 14th century fresco of Pope Boniface VIII. There’s also a wooden table at the papal altar which is said to have been used by St. Peter to celebrate the Eucharist. The Gothic tabernacle, dating from 1367, has a macabre use. It supposedly contains the heads of Sts. Peter and Paul.

More conspicuous than these relics are the enormous statues that are placed in the twelve niches Borromini created in the nave. The statues, which were added later, represent the twelve apostles. They were designed by a variety of prominent Rococo sculptors, including Francesco Moratti, Angelo de’ Rossi, and Pierre Le Gros the Younger.

There are also six papal tombs inside San Giovanni in Laterano. They contain the remains of Alexander III, Sergius IV, Clement XIII, Martin V, Innocent III, and Leo XIII. After Leo XIII, popes were buried in St. Peter’s.

A visit to the separate Cloister is also a must in order to admire the unique spiral columns and the Cosmatesque mosaics found there. There is a small admission charge to enter the Cloister.

Also separate is the basilica’s baptistery, founded by Constantine I in 315 A.D. It was the first baptistery in Rome. Its current octagonal shape was created during the papacy of Pope Sixtus III and served as an example for many other baptisteries.