View source for Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran

{{Short description|Catholic archbasilica and landmark in Rome, Italy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox church
| name             = Cathedral of Rome
| fullname         = Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World
| native_name      = {{efn|{{unbulleted list|{{native name|it|Arcibasilica Papale Romana Maggiore di San Giovanni in Laterano}}|{{native name|la|Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ac Sanctorum Ioannis Baptistae et Ioannis Evangelistae ad Lateranum}}}}}}
| image            = San Giovanni in Laterano 2021.jpg
| image_size       = 270
| alt              = Ornate facade of the basilica with columns, main door, and statues of the twelve Apostles on the roofline, with a Latin inscription below them
| caption          = Main façade by [[Alessandro Galilei]]
| coordinates      = {{coord|format=dms|display=it}}
| mapframe-frame-width = 270
| mapframe         = yes
| mapframe-caption = Click on the map for a fullscreen view
| mapframe-zoom    = 11
| mapframe-marker  = religious-christian
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| location         = [[Rome]]{{efn|name=LateranTreaty}}
| country          = [[Italy]]
| denomination     = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| tradition        = [[Latin Church]]
| website          = [https://www.basilicasangiovanni.va/ basilicasangiovanni.va]
| dedication       = [[Jesus|Christ the Savior]] (primary)<br/>[[John the Baptist]] and [[John the Evangelist]] (secondary)
| consecration year = AD 324
| status           = [[Major basilica|Papal major basilica]], [[Cathedral]]
| architect        = [[Alessandro Galilei]]
| architectural type = Cathedral
| style            = [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]], [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]]
| groundbreaking   = AD 4th century
| year completed   = {{end date|1735}}
| length           = {{convert|140|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| width            = {{convert|73|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| width nave       = {{convert|65|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| materials        = [[Marble]], [[granite]], and [[cement]]
| diocese          = [[Diocese of Rome|Rome]]
| bishop           = {{Incumbent pope 2}}
| archpriest       = [[Baldassare Reina]]
| embedded         = {{Infobox designation list
  | embed                   = yes
  | designation1            = WHS
  | designation1_offname    = Historic Centre of Rome, the [[Properties of the Holy See#Outside Vatican City but inside Rome|Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights]] and San Paolo Fuori le Mura
  | designation1_date       = 1980 <small>(4th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
  | designation1_type       = Cultural
  | designation1_number     = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/91 91]
  | designation1_criteria   = i, ii, iii, iv, vi
  | designation1_free1name  = Region
  | designation1_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|Europe and North America]]
 }}
}}
The '''Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran''' (officially the ''Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World''), commonly known as the '''Lateran Basilica''' or '''Saint John Lateran''',{{efn|{{langx|it|Papale arcibasilica maggiore cattedrale del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano}}}} is the Catholic [[cathedral]] of the [[Diocese of Rome]] in the city of [[Rome]], Italy. It serves as the [[cathedra|seat]] of the bishop of Rome, the [[pope]]. The only "''arch''basilica" in the world, it lies outside of [[Vatican City]] proper, which is located approximately {{convert|4|km|mi|frac=2|spell=in|abbr=off}} northwest. Nevertheless, as [[properties of the Holy See]], the archbasilica and its adjoining edifices enjoy an [[Extraterritoriality|extraterritorial status]] from Italy, pursuant to the terms of the [[Lateran Treaty]] of 1929.{{efn|name=LateranTreaty}} Dedicated to [[Jesus|Christ the Savior]], in honor of [[John the Baptist]] and [[John the Evangelist]], the place name – {{lang|it|Laterano}} ([[Lateran]]) – comes from an ancient Roman family (''[[gens]]''), whose palace (''[[domus]]'') grounds occupied the site. The adjacent [[Lateran Palace]] was the primary residence of the pope until the [[Middle Ages]].

The church is the oldest and highest ranking of the four [[Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas|major papal basilicas]], and it is one of the [[Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome]]. Founded in 324, it is the oldest public church in the city of Rome, and the oldest [[basilica]] in the Western world.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.vatican.va/jubilee_2000/pilgrim/documents/ju_gp_15012000_p-04b_it.html | title = San Giovanni in Laterano | website = Giubileo 2000 | publisher = Santa Sede – vatican.va}}</ref> It houses the ''[[cathedra]]'' of the Roman bishop,<ref>{{Cite web|url =https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en/info.html|title= Papal basilicas|access-date = 18 February 2016|publisher = vatican.va|language = en}}</ref><ref name=NoPatriarch /> and it has the title of ecumenical [[mother church]] of the Catholic faithful. The building deteriorated during the Middle Ages and was badly damaged by two fires in the 14th century. It was rebuilt in the late 16th century during the reign of Pope [[Pope Sixtus V|Sixtus V]]. The new structure's interior was renovated in the late 17th century, and its façade was completed in 1735 under Pope [[Pope Clement XII|Clement XII]].

The current Rector is [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]] [[Archpriest]] [[Baldassare Reina]], [[Cardinal Vicar|Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome]]<ref name="DioceseofRome" /> since 6 October 2024. The [[president of the French Republic]], currently [[Emmanuel Macron]], is ''[[ex officio]]'' the "First and Only Honorary [[Canons Regular of the Lateran|Canon]]" of the archbasilica, a title that the heads of state of France have possessed since [[Henry IV of France|King Henry IV]].

The large Latin inscription on the [[façade]] reads: ''Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang''. This abbreviated inscription translates as: "The Supreme Pontiff [[Pope Clement XII|Clement XII]], in the fifth year [of his Pontificate, dedicated this building] to Christ the Savior, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and [John] the Evangelist".<ref name=facademeaning>{{cite book|last1=Landsford|first1=Tyler|title=The Latin Inscriptions of Rome: A Walking Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0DPzpiQqiFsC&pg=PA236|page=236|publisher=JHU Press|access-date=21 October 2014|date=2009|isbn=9780801891496}}</ref> As Christ the Savior is its primary dedication, its titular feast day is 6 August, the [[Transfiguration of Jesus|Transfiguration of Christ]]. As the cathedral of the pope as bishop of Rome, it ranks superior to all other churches of the Catholic Church, including [[Saint Peter's Basilica]].

==Name==
[[File:Inscription Ecclesiarum Mater San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg|thumb|Next to the formal entrance is the archbasilica's declaration to be the head, or [[Mother Church]], of the entire world, encircled by the [[laurel wreath]] and the [[Papal tiara]].]]

The archbasilica's Latin name is ''{{lang|la|Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ac Sancti Ioannis Baptistae et Ioannis Evangelistae ad Lateranum}}'',<ref>{{cite book| title = L'Arcibasilica papale del Laterano nei secoli | first = Albano | last = Milioni | publisher = Quasar | year = 2007 | page = 142 | isbn = 9788871403403 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RLcVAQAAIAAJ | quote = Statuta Patriarchalis Archibasilicae Ss.mi Salvatoris ac SS. Ioannis Baptistae et Ioannis Evangelistae ad Lateranum Romanae Ecclesiae Cathedralis.}}</ref> which in English is the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist at the Lateran, and in Italian ''{{lang|it|Arcibasilica [Papale] del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano}}''.<ref name="DioceseofRome" />

==History==
===Lateran Palace===
{{main article|Lateran Palace}}
The archbasilica stands over the remains of the ''[[Castra Nova equitum singularium]]'', the "New Fort of the Roman imperial cavalry bodyguards". The fort was established by [[Septimius Severus]] in AD 193. Following the victory of [[Constantine I|Emperor Constantine the Great]] over [[Maxentius]] (for whom the ''Equites singulares augusti'', the emperor's mounted bodyguards had fought) at the [[Battle of the Milvian Bridge]], the guard was abolished and the fort demolished. Substantial remains of the fort lie directly beneath the [[nave]].

The remainder of the site was occupied during the early [[Roman Empire]] by the [[palace]] of the ''[[gens]]'' Laterani. [[Lucius Sextius|Sextius Lateranus]] was the first [[plebeian]] to attain the rank of [[consul]], and the Laterani served as [[Administrator of the Government|administrators]] for several emperors. 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 redistribution of his properties.

The [[Lateran Palace]] fell into the hands of the [[Roman emperor|Emperor]] when [[Constantine the Great]] 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 Great during the pontificate of [[Pope Miltiades]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kelly |first=John Norman Davidson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0SXZAAAAMAAJ |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Popes |date=1986 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-213964-1 |pages=26–27 |language=en }} [https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary00kell/oxforddictionary00kell Alt URL]</ref> in time to host a [[synod]] of [[bishop]]s in 313 that was convened to challenge the Donatist [[Schism (religion)|schism]], declaring [[Donatism]] to be [[heresy]]. The palace [[basilica]] was converted and extended, becoming the residence of [[Sylvester I|Pope Sylvester I]], eventually becoming the Cathedral of Rome, the seat of the Popes as the Bishops of Rome.<ref name=cennistorici />

===Early Church===
[[File:Lazio Roma SGiovanni2 tango7174.jpg|thumb|The [[papal]] ''[[cathedra]]'', the presence of which renders the archbasilica the cathedral of Rome, is located in its [[apse]]. The decorations are in [[cosmatesque]] style.]]

[[Pope Sylvester I]] presided over the official dedication of the archbasilica and the adjacent Lateran Palace in 324, changing the name from ''Domus Fausta'' to ''Domus Dei'' ("House of God"), with a dedication to Christ the Savior (''Christo Salvatori''). When a ''cathedra'' became a symbol of episcopal authority, the papal ''cathedra'' was placed in its interior, rendering it the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. When [[Gregory the Great]] sent the [[Gregorian mission]] to England under [[Augustine of Canterbury]], some original churches in Canterbury took the Roman plan as a model, dedicating a church both to Christ as well as one to Saint Paul, outside the walls of the city. The church name "Christ Church", so common for churches around the world today in Anglophone Anglican contexts, originally came from this Roman church, central to pre-medieval Christian identity.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The anniversary of the dedication of the church has been observed as a feast since the 12th century. In the [[General Roman Calendar]] of the [[Catholic Church]], 9 November is the [[Ranking of liturgical days in the Roman Rite|feast]] of the Dedication of the (Arch)Basilica of the Lateran (''Dedicatio Basilicae Lateranensis''), referred to in older texts as the "Dedication of the Basilica of the Most Holy Savior".{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===The Middle Ages===
[[File:San Giovanni in Laterano - Baldacchino.jpg|thumb|upright|The high altar and the 14th-century Gothic [[ciborium (architecture)|ciborium]]. The relic of the original wooden altar used by [[Saint Peter]] comprises the high altar. Above the ciborium are statues of Sts. Peter and [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI|title=My First Book of Saints|year=1997|publisher=Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate – Quality Catholic Publications|isbn=971-91595-4-5|pages=265–266|chapter=Dedication of St. John Lateran}}</ref>]]

On the archbasilica's front wall between the main portals is a plaque inscribed with the words {{small|{{lang|la|SACROS LATERAN ECCLES OMNIUM VRBIS ET ORBIS ECCLESIARVM MATER ET CAPUT}}}} ("Most Holy Lateran Church, mother and head of all the churches in the city and the world"); a visible indication of the declaration that the basilica is the "mother church" of all the world. In the twelfth century the canons of the Lateran claimed that the high altar housed the Ark of the Covenant and several holy objects from Jerusalem. The basilica was thus presented as the Temple of the New Covenant.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lateran Church in Rome and the Ark of the Covenant: Housing the Holy Relics of Jerusalem |website=[[Boydell & Brewer]] |url=https://boydellandbrewer.com/the-lateran-church-in-rome-and-the-ark-of-the-covenant-housing-the-holy-relics-of-jerusalem-hb.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224195325/https://boydellandbrewer.com/the-lateran-church-in-rome-and-the-ark-of-the-covenant-housing-the-holy-relics-of-jerusalem-hb.html |archive-date=24 December 2019 }}</ref>

The archbasilica and Lateran Palace were re-dedicated twice. [[Pope Sergius III]] dedicated them in honor of [[Saint John the Baptist]] in the 10th century, occasioned by the newly consecrated [[baptistry]] of the archbasilica. [[Pope Lucius II]] dedicated them in honor of [[John the Evangelist]] in the 12th century. Thus, Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist became co-patrons of the archbasilica, while the primary Titular is still Christ the Savior, as the inscription in the entrance indicates and as is traditional for patriarchal cathedrals. Consequently, the archbasilica remains dedicated to the Savior, and its titular feast is the [[Transfiguration of Jesus|Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ]] on 6 August. The archbasilica became the most important shrine of the two Saint Johns, albeit infrequently jointly venerated. In later years, a [[Benedictine]] [[monastery]] was established in the Lateran Palace, and was devoted to serving the archbasilica and the two saints.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Every pope, beginning with [[Pope Miltiades]], occupied the Lateran Palace until the reign of the French [[Pope Clement V]], who in 1309 transferred the seat of the papacy to [[Avignon]], a papal fiefdom that was an enclave in [[France]]. The Lateran Palace has also been the site of five [[ecumenical council]]s (see [[Lateran council]]s).{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===Fires and reconstruction===
During the time the [[Avignon papacy|papacy was seated in Avignon, France]], the Lateran Palace and the archbasilica deteriorated. Two fires ravaged them in 1307 and 1361. After both fires the pope sent money from Avignon to pay for their reconstruction and maintenance. Nonetheless, the archbasilica and Lateran Palace lost their former splendor. When the papacy returned from Avignon and the pope again resided in Rome, the archbasilica and the Lateran Palace were deemed inadequate considering their accumulated damage. The popes resided at the [[Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere]] and later at the [[Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]]. Eventually, the [[Palace of the Vatican]] was built adjacent to the [[Old Basilica of St. Peter|Basilica of Saint Peter]], which existed since the time of Emperor [[Constantine I]], and the popes began to reside there. It has remained the official residence of the pope, though Pope Francis chose to reside in the [[Domus Sanctae Marthae]] in the Vatican City,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pope Francis to live in Vatican guesthouse, not papal apartments {{!}} National Catholic Reporter |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/pope-francis-live-vatican-guesthouse-not-papal-apartments,%20https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/pope-francis-live-vatican-guesthouse-not-papal-apartments |access-date=11 June 2024 |website=www.ncronline.org |language=en}}</ref> not in the [[Papal apartments]].

There were several attempts at reconstruction of the archbasilica before a definitive program of [[Pope Sixtus V]]. Sixtus V hired his favorite architect, [[Domenico Fontana]], to supervise much of the project. The original Lateran Palace was demolished and replaced with a new edifice. On the square in front of the [[Lateran Palace]] is [[San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital]] and the largest standing ancient Egyptian [[obelisk]] in the world, known as the [[Lateran Obelisk]]. It weighs an estimated 455 tons. It was commissioned by the Egyptian [[Thutmose III|Pharaoh Thutmose III]] and erected by [[Pharaoah Thutmose IV|Thutmose IV]] before the great [[Karnak]] temple of [[Thebes, Egypt]]. Intended by [[Constantine I|Emperor Constantine I]] to be shipped to [[Constantinople]], the very preoccupied [[Constantius II]] had it shipped instead to Rome, where it was erected in the [[Circus Maximus]] in AD 357. At some time it broke and was buried under the Circus. In the 16th century it was discovered and excavated, and Sixtus V had it re-erected on a new pedestal on 3 August 1588 at its present site.<ref name=FannyDavenport /><ref name=SaudiAramco /><ref name=pbsnova />

Further renovation of the interior of the archbasilica ensued under the direction of [[Francesco Borromini]], commissioned by [[Pope Innocent X]]. The twelve niches created by his architectural scheme were eventually filled in 1718 with statues of the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]], sculpted by the most prominent Roman [[Rococo]] sculptors.
[[File:Lazio Roma SGiovanni1 tango7174.jpg|thumb|Main body of the basilica, after the radical transformation by [[Francesco Borromini]] in the 17th century.]]

The vision of [[Pope Clement XII]] for reconstruction was an ambitious one in which he launched a competition to design a new façade. More than 23 architects competed, mostly working in the then-current [[Baroque]] idiom. 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]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The façade as it appears today was completed in 1735. It reads in Latin: ''Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang''; this highly abbreviated inscription is expanded thus: ''Clemens XII, Pont[ifex] Max[imus], [in] Anno V, [dedicavit hoc aedificium] Christo Salvatori, in hon[orem] [sanctorum] Ioan[is] Bapt[tistae] et Evang[elistae]''. This translates as "[[Pope Clement XII]], Pontifex Maximus, in the fifth year of his reign, dedicated this building to Christ the Savior, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist".<ref name=facademeaning/> Galilei's façade removed all vestiges of traditional, ancient, basilical architecture and imparted a neo-classical facade.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
File:Rom, San Giovanni in Laterano, Innenansicht.jpg|[[Nave]]
File:Rom, Basilika San Giovanni in Laterano, Decke der Basilika 2.jpg|Ceiling
File:Lateran Obelisk HD.jpg|The [[Lateran Obelisk]]
File:San Giovanni in Laterano - Seitenansicht.jpg|The ''Loggia delle Benedizioni'', on the rear left side. Annexed, on the left, is the Lateran Palace.
</gallery>

===World War II===
During the Second World War, the Lateran and its related buildings were used under Pope [[Pius XII]] as a safe haven from the Nazis and Italian Fascists for numbers of Jews and other refugees. Among those who found shelter there were [[Meuccio Ruini]], [[Alcide De Gasperi]], [[Pietro Nenni]] and others. The [[Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul]] and the sixty orphan refugees they cared for were ordered to leave their convent on the Via Carlo Emanuele. The [[Sisters of Charity of Saints Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa (SCCG)|Sisters of Maria Bambina]], who staffed the kitchen at the [[Pontifical Major Roman Seminary]] at the Lateran offered a wing of their convent. The grounds also housed Italian soldiers.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=013pJv7zwW4C&dq=pontifical+roman+major+seminary&pg=PA70 Marchione, Margherita. ''Yours Is a Precious Witness: Memoirs of Jews and Catholics in Wartime Italy'', Paulist Press, 2001] {{ISBN|9780809140329}}</ref>

[[Vincenzo Fagiolo]] and [[Pietro Palazzini]], vice-rector of the seminary, were recognized by [[Yad Vashem]] for their efforts to assist Jews.<ref>[http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=4043709 "Palazzini", the righteous among the Nations, Yad Vashem]</ref><ref>[http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/family.html?language=en&itemId=4043695 "Fagiolo", The Righteous Among the Nations, Yad Vashem]</ref>

==Architecture==
{{More citations needed|section|date=May 2023}}
[[File:The Papal Throne in San Giovanni in Laterano.jpg|thumb|The Papal Throne]]
===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 some portions of the original mosaics may have been preserved in the tripartite mosaic of its niche. In the center Christ gives to the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]] their mission; on the left he gives the keys of the kingdom of heaven to [[Sylvester I|Pope Sylvester I]] and the [[Labarum]] to [[Constantine I|Emperor Constantine I]]; and on the right [[Saint Peter|Peter]] gives the papal [[Stole (vestment)|stole]] to [[Pope Leo III]] and the standard to [[Charlemagne]].

Some few remains of the original buildings may still be traced in the [[city walls]] outside the [[Porta San Giovanni (Rome)|Gate of Saint John]], and a large wall decorated with paintings was uncovered in the 18th century within the archbasilica behind the Lancellotti Chapel. A few traces of older buildings were also revealed during the excavations of 1880, when the work of extending the apse was in progress, but nothing of importance was published.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

A great many donations from the Popes and other benefactors to the archbasilica are recorded in the ''[[Liber Pontificalis]]'', and its splendor at an early period was such that it became known as the "Basilica Aurea", or "Golden Basilica". This splendor drew upon it the [[Sack of Rome (455)|attack of the Vandals]], who stripped it of all its treasures. [[Pope Leo I]] restored it around AD 460, and it was again restored by [[Pope Hadrian I]].

In 897, it was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake: ''ab altari usque ad portas cecidit'' ("it collapsed from the altar to the doors"). The damage was so extensive that it was difficult to trace the lines of the old building, but these were mostly respected and the new building was of the same dimensions as the old. This second basilica stood for 400 years before it burned in 1308. It was rebuilt by [[Pope Clement V]] and [[Pope John XXII]]. It burned once more in 1360, and was rebuilt by [[Pope Urban V]].

Through vicissitudes the archbasilica 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]]. The façade had three windows and was embellished with a mosaic representing Christ as the Savior of the world.

The porticoes were frescoed, probably not earlier than the 12th century, commemorating the [[Roman Navy|Roman fleet]] under [[Vespasian]], the taking of [[Jerusalem]], the Baptism of [[Constantine I|Emperor Constantine I]] and his [[Donation of Constantine|"Donation" of the Papal States]] to the [[Catholic Church]]. Inside the archbasilica the columns no doubt ran, as in all other basilicas of the same date, the whole length of the church, from east to west.

In one of the rebuildings, probably that which was carried out by [[Pope Clement V]], a transverse nave was introduced, imitated no doubt from the one which had been added, long before this, to the [[Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls]]. Probably at this time the archbasilica was enlarged.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}
[[File:SanGiovanniChiostro2.JPG|thumb|The ''sedia stercoraria'' where Psalm 112 was sung in the distant past]]
Some portions of the older buildings survive. Among them the pavement of medieval [[Cosmatesque]] work, and the statues of [[Saint Peter]] and [[Paul of Tarsus|Saint Paul]], now in the [[cloister]]. The graceful [[ciborium (architecture)|ciborium]] over the high altar, which looks out of place in its present surroundings,{{According to whom|date=September 2024}} dates from 1369. The throne of red marble on which the Popes sat, is now in the [[Vatican Museums]]. It was part of a pair, but the other was plundered and taken away by [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleon]] and is now in the Louvre. Another papal throne, the ''sedia stercoraria'', is now in the [[#Lateran cloister|Lateran Cloister]]. It owes its unsavory name to the anthem sung at previous Papal coronations, "De ''stercore'' erigens pauperem" ("lifting up the poor out of the dunghill", from [[Psalm 113|Psalm 112]]).

From the 5th century, there were seven oratories surrounding the archbasilica. These before long were incorporated into the church. The devotion of visiting these oratories, which was maintained through the Mediaeval Ages, gave rise to the similar devotion of the seven altars, still common in many churches of Rome and elsewhere.

Of the façade by [[Alessandro Galilei]] (1735), the cliché assessment {{By whom|date=February 2023}} has been that it is the façade of a [[palace]], not of a church. Galilei's front, which is a screen across the older front creating a [[narthex]] or vestibule, does express the nave and double aisles of the archbasilica, which required a central bay wider than the rest of the sequence. Galilei provided it, without abandoning the range of identical arch-headed openings, by extending the central window by flanking columns that support the arch, in the familiar [[Palladian window|Serlian motif]].

[[File:Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, Lithograph, 1825.jpg|thumb|Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, Lithograph, 1825]]

By bringing the central bay forward very slightly, and capping it with a pediment that breaks into the roof balustrade, Galilei provided an entrance doorway on a more than colossal scale, framed in the paired colossal [[Corinthian order|Corinthian pilasters]] that tie together the façade in the manner introduced at [[Michelangelo]]'s [[Campidoglio|palace on the Campidoglio]].

In the narthex of the church, is a 4th-century statue of emperor Constantine. It was found elsewhere in Rome, and moved to this site by order of [[Pope Clement XII]].

Between the archbasilica and the city wall there was a great monastery, in which dwelt the community of monks whose duty it was to provide the services in the archbasilica. The only part of it which still survives is the 13th century [[cloister]], surrounded by [[column]]s of inlaid [[marble]]. They are of a style intermediate between the [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] proper and the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], and are the work of [[Vassellectus]] and the [[Cosmatesque|Cosmati]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===Statues of the Apostles===
The twelve niches created in [[Francesco Borromini]]'s architecture were left vacant for decades. When in 1702 [[Pope Clement XI]] and [[Benedetto Pamphilj|Benedetto Cardinal Pamphili]], archpriests of the archbasilica, announced their grand scheme for twelve larger-than-life sculptures of the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]] ([[Judas Iscariot]] replaced by [[Saint Paul]], instead of [[Saint Matthias]]) to fill the niches, the commission was opened to all the premier sculptors of late [[Baroque]] Rome.{{efn|name=Wittkower}} Each statue was to be sponsored by an illustrious prince with the Pope himself sponsoring that of [[Saint Peter]] and Cardinal Pamphili that of [[Saint John the Evangelist]]. Most of the sculptors were given a sketch drawn by Pope Clement's favorite painter, [[Carlo Maratta]], to which they were to adhere, but with the notable exception being [[Pierre Le Gros the Younger]], who successfully refused to sculpt to Maratta's design and consequently was not given a sketch.<ref name=Conforti />

The sculptors and their sculptures follow and are dated according to Conforti (the dates reflect archival findings but models for most must have existed before):
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*'''[[Pierre-Étienne Monnot]]'''
**''[[Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]]'' (1704–1708)
**''[[Saint Peter]]'' (1704–1711)
*'''Francesco Moratti'''
**''[[Simon the Zealot|Saint Simon]]'' (1704–1709)
*'''[[Lorenzo Ottoni]]'''
**''[[Jude the Apostle|Saint Jude Thaddeus]]'' (1704–1709)
*'''[[Giuseppe Mazzuoli (1644-1725)|Giuseppe Mazzuoli]]'''
**''[[Philip the Apostle|Saint Philip]]'' (1705–1711)
*'''[[Pierre Le Gros the Younger|Pierre Le Gros]]'''
**''[[Thomas the Apostle|Saint Thomas]]'' (1705–1711)
**''[[Bartholomew the Apostle|Saint Bartholomew]]'' ({{Circa|1705}}–1712)
*'''[[Angelo de' Rossi]]'''
**''[[James the Less|Saint James the Lesser]]'' (1705–1711)
*'''[[Camillo Rusconi]]'''
**''[[Andrew the Apostle|Saint Andrew]]'' (1705–1709)
**''[[John the Evangelist|Saint John]]'' (1705–1711)
**''[[Matthew the Apostle|Saint Matthew]]'' (1711–1715)
**''[[James the Great|Saint James the Greater]]'' (1715–1718)
{{div col end}}

'''South wall'''
<gallery mode="packed" heights="210px">
File:Simone a San Giovanni in Laterano.jpeg |''Saint Simon''<br>by Moratti
File:Bartholomaeus San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint Bartholomew''<br> by Le Gros
File:Jacobus Minor San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint James the Lesser''<br>by de' Rossi
File:Johannes San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint John''<br>by Rusconi
File:Andreas San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint Andrew''<br>by Rusconi
File:Petrus San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint Peter''<br>by Monnot
</gallery>

'''North wall'''
<gallery mode="packed" heights="210px">
File:Paulus San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint Paul''<br>by Monnot
File:Jacobus Major San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint James the Greater''<br>by Rusconi
File:Thomas San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07 n2.jpg |''Saint Thomas''<br>by Le Gros
File:Philippus San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint Philip''<br>by Mazzuoli
File:Matthaeus San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint Matthew''<br>by Rusconi
File:Thaddeus San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg |''Saint Jude Thaddeaus''<br>by Ottoni
</gallery>

===Papal tombs===
{{main article|List of extant papal tombs}}
[[File:Helena tomb.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Sarcophagi of Helena and Constantina|Sarcophagus]] of [[Helena of Constantinople|Saint Helena]], reused by [[Pope Anastasius IV]], the only tomb to survive the Lateran fires. It is currently in the Vatican Museums.]]

There are six extant papal tombs inside the archbasilica: [[Pope Alexander III|Alexander III]] (right aisles), [[Pope Sergius IV|Sergius IV]] (right aisles), [[Pope Clement XII|Clement XII]] (left aisle), [[Pope Martin V|Martin V]] (in front of the confessio); [[Pope Innocent III|Innocent III]] (right transept); and [[Pope Leo XIII|Leo XIII]] (left transept). Leo XIII was the last pope not to be entombed in [[Saint Peter's Basilica]] for over a century, until the [[death and funeral of Pope Francis|death]] of [[Pope Francis]] in 2025, who is buried at [[Santa Maria Maggiore]].

Twelve additional papal tombs were constructed in the archbasilica starting in the 10th century, but were destroyed during the two fires that ravaged it in 1308 and 1361. The remains of these charred tombs were gathered and reburied in a [[polyandrion]]. The popes whose tombs were destroyed are: [[Pope John X]] (914–928), [[Pope Agapetus II]] (946–955), [[Pope John XII]] (955–964), [[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), and [[Pope Innocent V]] (1276). Popes who reigned during this period, whose tombs are unknown, and who may have been buried in the archbasilica include [[Pope John XVII]] (1003), [[Pope John XVIII]] (1003–1009), and [[Pope Alexander II]] (1061–1073). [[Pope John X]] was the first pope buried within the walls of Rome, and was granted a prominent burial due to rumors that he was murdered by [[Theodora (senatrix)|Theodora]] during a historical period known as the {{lang|la|[[saeculum obscurum]]}}. Cardinals [[Vincenzo Santucci]] and Carlo Colonna are also buried in the archbasilica.

The skull of Saint Peter is also claimed to reside in the archbasilica since at least the ninth century, alongside the skull of Saint Paul.<ref>{{cite journal|last = Cuming | first = H. Syer | title = Notes on a group of reliquaries | journal= Journal of the British Archaeological Association|date=December 1870 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=UDAGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA272 }}</ref>

===Baptistery and Holy Stairs===
[[Image:Lateran baptistery, entrance.jpg|thumb|The entrance to the [[Lateran Baptistery]], adjacent to the Archbasilica]]
{{main article|Lateran Baptistery|Scala Sancta}}
The octagonal Lateran baptistery stands somewhat apart from the archbasilica. It was founded by [[Pope Sixtus III]], perhaps on an earlier structure, for a legend arose that [[Constantine I|Emperor Constantine I]] was baptized there and enriched the edifice. The baptistery 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 manuscript]]s known as "the [[fountain of life]]".

The ''Scala Sancta'', or Holy Stairs, are white marble steps encased in wooden ones. They supposedly form the staircase which once led to the praetorium of [[Pontius Pilate]] in [[Jerusalem]] and which, therefore, were sanctified by the footsteps of [[Jesus Christ]] during His [[Passion (Christianity)|Passion]]. The marble stairs are visible through openings in the wooden risers. Their translation from Jerusalem to the Lateran Palace in the 4th century is credited to [[Helena of Constantinople|Saint Empress Helena]], the mother of the then-Emperor [[Constantine I]]. In 1589, [[Pope Sixtus V]] relocated the steps to their present location in front of the ancient palatine chapel named the [[Sancta Sanctorum]]. [[Ferraù Fenzoni]] completed some of the frescoes on the walls.

==Tabula Magna Lateranensis==
<gallery>
File:Tabula Magna Lateranensis 1 reliquie (XIII secolo) - Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano Roma 2025-05-26.jpg|Tabula Magna Lateranensis (13th century), located on the left side of the sacristy door, in which are listed the main relics preserved in the basilica.
File:Tabula Magna Lateranensis 2 lavori (XIII secolo) - Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano Roma 2025-05-26.jpg|Thirteenth-century panel similar to the Tabula Magna Lateranensis (the title at the top, added in the nineteenth century, is misleading), located on the right side of the sacristy door, describing some works done in the ninth century.
</gallery>

==Notable people==
===Archpriests===
[[Pope Boniface VIII]] instituted the office of Archpriest of the Archbasilica circa 1299.<ref name=Moroni />

List of Archpriests of the Archbasilica:<ref name=CardinalList />
{{col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
*[[Gerardo Bianchi]] (c.1299–1302)
*[[Pietro Valeriano Duraguerra]] (1302)
*[[Matteo Rosso Orsini (cardinal)|Matteo Rosso Orsini]] (1302–1305)
*[[Pietro Colonna (cardinal)|Pietro Colonna]] (1306–1326)
*[[Bertrand de Montfavez]] (1326–1342)
*[[Giovanni Colonna (cardinal, 1295-1348)|Giovanni Colonna]] (1342–1348)
*[[Pope Gregory XI|Pierre Roger de Beaufort]] (1348–1370)
*[[Ange de Grimoard]] (1371–1388)
*[[Pope Boniface IX|Pietro Tomacelli]] (1388?–1389)
*Francesco Carbone (1389–1405)
*[[Antonio Caetani (seniore)]] (1405–1412)
*[[Pope Martin V|Oddone Colonna]] (1412–1417)
*[[Alamanno Adimari]] (1418–1422)
*[[Guillaume Fillastre]] (1422–1428)
*[[Alfonso Carillo de Albornoz]] (1428–1434)
*[[Lucido Conti]] (1434–1437)
*[[Angelotto Fosco]] (1437–1444)
*[[António Martinez de Chaves]] (1444–1447)
*[[Domenico Capranica]] (1447–1458)
*[[Prospero Colonna (cardinal)|Prospero Colonna]] (1458–1463)
*[[Latino Orsini]] (1463–1477)
*[[Pope Julius II|Giuliano della Rovere]] (1477–1503)
*[[Giovanni Colonna (cardinal, 1456-1508)|Giovanni Colonna]] (1503–1538)
*[[Pope Paul III|Alessandro Farnese]] (1508–1534)
*[[Giovanni Domenico de Cupis]] (1534–1553)
*[[Ranuccio Farnese (cardinal)|Ranuccio Farnese]] (1553–1565)
*[[Mark Sitticus von Hohenems]] (1565–1588)
*[[Ascanio Colonna]] (1588–1608)
*[[Scipione Caffarelli-Borghese]] (1608–1620)
{{col-break}}
*[[Giambattista Leni]] (1620–1627)
*[[Francesco Barberini (1597–1679)|Francesco Barberini]] (1627–1629)
*[[Girolamo Colonna]] (1629–1666)
*[[Flavio Chigi (1631-1693)|Flavio Chigi]] (1666–1693)
*[[Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni]] (1693–1698)
*[[Benedetto Pamphili]] (1699–1730)
*[[Pietro Ottoboni (cardinal)|Pietro Ottoboni]] (1730–1740)
*[[Neri Maria Corsini]] (1740–1770)
*[[Mario Marefoschi Compagnoni]] (1771–1780)
*[[Carlo Rezzonico (cardinal)|Carlo Rezzonico]] (1781–1799)
*[[Francesco Saverio de Zelada]] (1800–1801)
*[[Leonardo Antonelli]] (1801–1811)
*[[Bartolomeo Pacca]] (1830–1844)
*[[Benedetto Barberini]] (28 April 1844 – 10 April 1863)
*[[Lodovico Altieri]] (1863–1867)
*[[Costantino Patrizi Naro]] (1867–1876)
*[[Flavio Chigi (1810-1885)|Flavio Chigi]] (24 December 1876 – 1885)
*[[Raffaele Monaco La Valletta]] (1885–1896)
*[[Francesco Satolli]] (16 December 1896 – 8 January 1910)
*[[Pietro Respighi]] (10 January 1910 – 22 March 1913)
*[[Domenico Ferrata]] (7 April 1913 – 10 October 1914)
*[[Basilio Pompili]] (28 October 1914 – 5 May 1931)
*[[Francesco Marchetti-Selvaggiani]] (26 May 1931 – 13 January 1951)
*[[Benedetto Aloisi Masella]] (27 October 1954 – 30 August 1970)
*[[Angelo Dell'Acqua]] (7 November 1970 – 27 August 1972)
*[[Ugo Poletti]] (26 March 1973 – 17 January 1991)
*[[Camillo Ruini]] (1 July 1991 – 27 June 2008)
*[[Agostino Vallini]] (27 June 2008 – 26 May 2017)
*[[Angelo De Donatis]] (26 May 2017 –  6 April 2024)
*[[Baldassare Reina]] (6 October 2024 – present) 
{{col-end}}

===Others===
*[[Giuseppe Olivieri (composer)|Giuseppe Olivieri]], Italian composer who was [[maestro di cappella]] at the archbasilica in 1622–1623.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |author=Nigel Fortune|date=2001|entry=Olivieri, Giuseppe|encyclopedia=Grove Music Online|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.20321}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="160">
File:Rome Scala Santa 2020 P01.jpg|The [[Scala Sancta]]
File:Sgio1.JPG|[[Alessandro Galilei]] completed the late Baroque façade of the archbasilica in 1735 after winning a competition for the design.
File:St John Lateran claim as head church in the world.jpg|Next to the main entrance is the inscription of the archbasilica's declaration to being the [[mother church]] of the world.
File:Rom, Basilika San Giovanni in Laterano, Hl. Johannes der Täufer 2.jpg|Statue of [[Saint John the Baptist]].
File:St John Lateran ceiling.jpg|The decorated ceiling.
File:Triclinium of Leo III.jpg|[[Apse]] depicting [[mosaic]]s from the [[Triclinium]] of [[Pope Leo III]] in the ancient Lateran Palace.
File:Latran intérieur.jpg|The cloister of the attached monastery, with a [[cosmatesque]] decoration.
File:Rom, Lateran, Kreuzgang des Klosters.JPG|The cloister of the attached monastery.
File:Rome San Giovanni in Laterano 2020 P19 Black Madonna of Czestochowa.jpg|[[Our Lady of Częstochowa]] depicted in the archbasilica.
File:Papal Archbasilica of St. John In Lateran Inside Photo.jpg|Interior picture of the Apse in the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran containing the Papal cathedra.
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Early Christian art and architecture]]
*[[Colegio de San Juan de Letran]], a [[Philippines|Philippine]] school named after the archbasilica
*[[Index of Vatican City-related articles]]
*[[Schola Castra Nova Equitum Singularium]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn |name=LateranTreaty|The archbasilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the [[Vatican City|Vatican City State]]. (Lateran Treaty of 1929, Article 15 ([http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/treaty.htm ''The Treaty of the Lateran'' by Benedict Williamson; London: Burns, Oates, and Washbourne Limited, 1929; pages 42–66)]) However, the [[Holy See]] fully owns the archbasilica, and [[Italy]] is legally obligated to recognize its full ownership thereof (Lateran Treaty of 1929, Article 13 ([http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/treaty.htm Ibidem])) and to concede to it "the immunity granted by International Law to the headquarters of the diplomatic agents of foreign States" (Lateran Treaty of 1929, Article 15 ([http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/treaty.htm Ibidem])).}}

{{efn| name=Wittkower|"The largest sculptural task in Rome during the early eighteenth century," per [[Rudolf Wittkower]], ''Art and Architecture in Italy, 1600–1750'', Revised Edition, 1965, p. 290, provides that "the distribution for commissions is, at the same time, a good yardstick for measuring the reputation of contemporary sculptors."}}
}}

===Citations===
{{reflist|30em
<ref name=NoPatriarch>[[Pope Benedict XVI]]'s theological act of renouncing the title of "[[Patriarch of the West]]" had as a consequence that the "patriarchal basilicas" are now officially known as "[[Major basilica#Papal Basilicas|papal basilicas]].</ref>
<ref name=DioceseofRome>{{cite web |url=http://www.vicariatusurbis.org/?page_id=188&ID=674 |title=Basilica Papale |publisher=Vicariatus Urbis: Portal of the Diocese of Rome |language=it |access-date=7 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109075647/http://www.vicariatusurbis.org/?page_id=188&ID=674 |archive-date=9 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name=cennistorici>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_giovanni/it/basilica/storia.htm |title=Arcibasilica Papale San Giovanni in Laterano – Cenni storici |publisher=Holy See |language=it |access-date=7 November 2013}}</ref>
<ref name=FannyDavenport>Fanny Davenport and Rogers MacVeagh, ''Fountains of Papal Rome'' (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1915), pp. 156 et seq.</ref>
<ref name=SaudiAramco>{{cite news |last= Lunde |first = Paul |date= March–April 1979|title=A Forest of Obelisks |url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197902/a.forest.of.obelisks.htm |newspaper=Saudi Aramco World |location=Houston, Texas |pages=28–32 |publisher=Aramco Services Company |access-date=7 November 2013 }}</ref>
<ref name=pbsnova>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/raising/rome.html PBS:NOVA:''A World of Obelisks-Rome'']</ref>
<ref name=Conforti>Cf. Michael Conforti, ''The Lateran Apostles'', unpublished Ph. D. thesis ([[Harvard University]], 1977); Conforti published a short resume of his dissertation: ''Planning the Lateran Apostles'', in Henry A. Millon (editor), ''Studies in Italian Art and Architecture 15th through 18th Centuries'', (Rome, 1980) (''Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome'' 35), pp. 243–60.</ref>
<ref name=Moroni>{{cite book |last=Moroni |first=Gaetano |date=1840–1861 |title= Dizionario di Erudizione Storico–Ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai Nostri Giorni |volume=12 |page=31 |language=it |location=Venezia |publisher=Tipografia Emiliana}}</ref>
<ref name=CardinalList>Respective biographic entries in {{cite web|url=http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/essay.htm|title=Essay of a General List of Cardinals |publisher=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church}}.</ref>
}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite CE1913 |wstitle=Saint John Lateran |title=Saint John Lateran |first=Arthur S. |last=Barnes|volume=9 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Claussen|first1=Peter C. |last2=Senekovic|first2= Darko  |title= S. Giovanni in Laterano. Mit einem Beitrag von Darko Senekovic über S. Giovanni in Fonte, in Corpus Cosmatorum, Volume 2, 2 |publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag|location=Stuttgart |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-515-09073-5}}
* {{cite book|last1=Krautheimer|first1=Richard |last2=Frazer|first2= Alfred|last3  =Corbett|first3= Spencer |author-link=Richard Krautheimer|title=Corpus Basilicarum Christianarum Romae: The Early Christian Basilicas of Rome (IV–IX Centuries) |publisher=Pontificio Istituto di Archeologia Cristiana (Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology)|location=Vatican City|year=1937–1977|oclc=163156460}}
* {{cite book | last = Webb | first = Matilda | title = The Churches and Catacombs of Early Christian Rome | publisher = Sussex Academic Press | location = Brighton | year = 2001 | isbn = 1-902210-57-3| pages=41}}
* {{cite book | last = Lenski | first = Noel | title = The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Constantine | publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]] | location = Cambridge | year = 2006 | isbn = 0-521-52157-2|page=282 }}
* {{cite web|author= Stato della Città del Vaticano |title=Arcibasilica Papale Di San Giovanni In Laterano |url=https://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_giovanni/index_it.htm|publisher=Holy See|access-date=24 October 2010|language=it|year=2009}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.basilicasangiovanni.va/}} {{in lang|it}}
* [https://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_giovanni/vr_tour/index-en.html High-resolution virtual tour of Saint John Lateran], from the Vatican.
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?q=basilica+of+st+john+rome&ll=41.885953,12.506207&spn=0.004044,0.007196&t=h&hl=en Satellite Photo of Saint John Lateran]
* [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Obeliscus_Constantii.html Constantine's obelisk]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110722051934/http://www.rome-guide.it/english/monuments/monuments_laterano.html San Giovanni in Laterano]
*High-resolution 360° Panoramas and Images of [https://mcid.mcah.columbia.edu/art-atlas/ancient-and-early-christian-sites-rome-panoramas-world-architecture/lateran-basilica Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran | Art Atlas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221142007/https://mcid.mcah.columbia.edu/art-atlas/ancient-and-early-christian-sites-rome-panoramas-world-architecture/lateran-basilica |date=21 December 2019 }}
*[https://nolli.stanford.edu/#%5B12.5067%2C41.886%5D Interactive Nolli Map Website]
* [https://cbarnard2.wixsite.com/beggarsrome/copy-of-s-pietro "Beggar's Rome"] - A self-directed virtual tour of St. John Lateran Basilica and other Roman churches

{{Subject bar |portal1=Catholicism |portal2=Italy |portal3=Vatican City |portal4=Architecture |commons=y |commons-search=Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano |s=y |s-search=Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Saint John Lateran |voy=y |voy-search=Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni}}

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