Lateran Basilica
Type:
Churches
Date:
Begun ca. 313–18
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Italy
Description:
Constantine (r. 306–12), the first Roman emperor to recognize Christianity, was the founder of Rome's cathedral. This basilica dedicated to Christ the Savior was later called San Giovanni in Laterano (the Lateran). It was built on the east side of the Caelian Hill and was the first great church within Rome's city walls. Unlike most medieval churches, its semicircular apse projected to the west rather than the east, in part for topographic reasons and perhaps also to imitate the orientation of the Temple in Jerusalem . The nave had four aisles, with the outer ones lower than the inner ones. There were reused red granite columns lining the nave and reused green marble columns in the aisles. Among Constantine's donations of vestments, vessels, and other decorations for the cathedral was the now-lost fastigium, a monumental silver ciborium for the main altar. The adjacent Lateran Baptistery is preserved, but almost nothing remains of the fourth-century Lateran Basilica.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
2
Repository and Online Resources:
• Read about digital mapping and 3D visualization techniques at the Lateran Basilica.
Image Credits:
Navid Jamali