 San Giovanni di Laterano |
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| San Giovanni in Laterano is the oldest and ranks first among the four patriarchal churches of Rome; it is the head of all churches throughout Rome and the world. Originally the palace of Constantine, it was later adapted to serve as the church of the Pope. The arch-Basilica was built later on the site of the original church and is known as St. John Lateran or the Lateran Basilica, and is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The top of the facade boasts huge statues of Christ and the Apostles. In the five-arched portico, there are as many doors, the last on the right being the Holy Door, which is accessible only every 25 years, during Jubilee years. This church has survived two fires and a terrorist attack. |
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Italy > Roma
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| The Egyptian obelisk in the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano is the oldest of its kind in Rome. It has been dated to the 15th century BC and was brought to Rome by command of emperor Constantine II. |
| Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi |
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Italy > Roma
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| The mosaic in the apse was reconstructed from a 12th-century original by Torriti, the same Franciscan friar who executed the apse mosaic in Santa Maria Maggiore. |
| Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi |
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Italy > Roma
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| The papal altar at the center of the church contains a wooden table believed to have been used by St. Peter to celebrate the Eucharist. The altar's rich Gothic tabernacle dates from 1367 and contains what are believed to be the heads of Sts. Peter and Paul. |
| Photo: Giuseppe Pennisi |
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