Rome, Italy
Basilica of St. John Lateran
The cathedral of the Bishop of Rome — the Pope's own church and the oldest public church in the city.
Most visitors don't realize that this, not St. Peter's, is the Pope's actual cathedral. The inscription across the facade says it plainly: the mother and head of all churches in the city and the world. Walk inside and the nave hits you with a different kind of scale than St. Peter's — it's wide and long, lined with enormous statues of the twelve apostles set into niches along the walls, each one twice life-size and dramatic enough to make you slow down. Borromini redesigned the interior in the 1600s, encasing the old columns inside Baroque pilasters, so the bones of Constantine's fourth-century basilica are still here, just dressed up. The papal throne sits in the apse. The cloisters off to the side are some of the most beautiful in Rome — twisted columns, fragments of old inscriptions, and a quiet garden where the noise of the city drops away. The Holy Stairs, the Scala Sancta, stand in a building just across the piazza.
Diocese: Diocese of Rome
Style: Baroque (interior), Neoclassical (facade)
What to See
Take your time with the apostle statues — each one is a full drama in stone. The papal altar holds a Gothic canopy containing reliquaries said to hold the heads of Saints Peter and Paul. Don't skip the cloisters (small admission fee); the Cosmati mosaic columns and the peaceful courtyard are among Rome's best-kept secrets. Across the square, the Scala Sancta building houses the marble stairs believed to be from Pilate's palace, which the faithful ascend on their knees. The baptistery next door is the oldest in Rome.
Pilgrim Notes
The basilica is free and open daily. It sits on the far side of central Rome from the Vatican, near the San Giovanni Metro stop on Line A. Mass is celebrated regularly and the atmosphere tends to be quieter and more prayerful than St. Peter's. The piazza outside hosts a large celebration every June 24th for the feast of St. John the Baptist. Combining a visit here with the Scala Sancta and the nearby church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme makes a full morning of pilgrimage.