Rome, Italy -- Basilica of St. John Lateran

In 2006, the college chorus I was a member of took a concert tour of Italy. One of the cities visited was Rome (of course!). We toured many fine churches in that city, one of which was the Basilica of St. John Lateran, aka the Papal Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, which serves as the seat of the Roman Pontiff. It is the oldest and highest ranking of the four papal major basilicas, holding the unique title of "archbasilica". It is the oldest public church in the city of Rome, and the oldest basilica of the Western world. The archbasilica was originally dedicated to Christ the Savior and, centuries later, co-dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist. The basilica also now houses the “Holy Stairs”, which formerly led to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem and which, therefore, were sanctified by the footsteps of Jesus Christ during His Passion. They were moved to Rome in the 4th Century by Helena, Emperor Constatine I’s mother, and then to this location in 1589 by Pope Sixtus V.

These photos have had minimal post-processing.

Exterior views

DSC_0818.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr


DSC_0820.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (the bronze doors)


DSC_0842.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Holy Stairs)

Interior views

DSC_0823.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (toward the High Altar)


DSC_0824.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr


DSC_0825.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (the High Altar and Ciborium)


DSC_0827.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr


DSC_0830.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Apse, with the papal cathedra)


DSC_0831.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (Organ at the Apse, one of 2 on either side)


DSC_0834.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Great Organ)


DSC_0828.jpg by David Casteel, on Flickr