Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS…
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Monument to Pope Sylvester II
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The baldachin
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The cloister
PRACTICALITIES
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MAP
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Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano 4
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basilica free, cloister €3
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7am-6.30pm, cloister 9am-6pm
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San Giovanni
The oldest of Rome's four papal basilicas (the others are St Peter's, the Basilica di San
Paolo Fuori le Mura and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore), it was constructed during
the building boom that followed Constantine's accession to power in 312, and consecrated
by Pope Sylvester I in 324. From then until 1309, when the papacy moved to Avignon, it
was the principal pontifical church, and the adjacent Palazzo Laterano was the pope's offi-
cial residence. Both buildings fell into disrepair during the papacy's French interlude, and
when Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome in 1377 he preferred to decamp to the fortified
Vatican rather than stay in the official papal digs.
Over the course of its long history, the basilica has been vandalised by invading barbar-
ians and twice destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt each time and the basilica you see today is
a culmination of several comprehensive makeovers.
The Facade
