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The | 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 Saint John Lateran Basilica, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and serves as the ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). It holds the unique status of being the mother and head of all churches in the Catholic world, with the motto "Omnium Ecclesiarum Urbis et Orbis Mater et Caput" (Mother and Head of All Churches of the City and the World).<ref>According to the official basilica website (basilicasangiovanni.va) and Wikipedia entry on the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran.</ref> | ||
Founded in **324** by Emperor Constantine the Great, who donated the site from the former Lateran Palace (previously confiscated property), it is the oldest public church in Rome and the oldest basilica in the Western world. Consecrated that year by Pope Sylvester I initially to Christ the Savior, it later received additional dedications to Saint John the Baptist (9th century, under Pope Sergius III) and Saint John the Evangelist (12th century, under Pope Lucius II).<ref>Ibid.; also referenced in historical accounts from the Vatican and reliable sources on Constantinian basilicas.</ref> | Founded in **324** by Emperor Constantine the Great, who donated the site from the former Lateran Palace (previously confiscated property), it is the oldest public church in Rome and the oldest basilica in the Western world. Consecrated that year by Pope Sylvester I initially to Christ the Savior, it later received additional dedications to Saint John the Baptist (9th century, under Pope Sergius III) and Saint John the Evangelist (12th century, under Pope Lucius II).<ref>Ibid.; also referenced in historical accounts from the Vatican and reliable sources on Constantinian basilicas.</ref> | ||
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* Lateran Cloister (Chiostro), begun in 1222 under Pope Honorius III.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | * Lateran Cloister (Chiostro), begun in 1222 under Pope Honorius III.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | ||
* Adjacent Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta), though separate.<ref>Common knowledge in Catholic tradition; nearby site.</ref> | * Adjacent Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta), though separate.<ref>Common knowledge in Catholic tradition; nearby site.</ref> | ||
* According to the HumanaLens guide, the Cloister is a quadriportico with 5 arches per side and 125 smaller arches with columns in different shapes, the largest in Rome at 36 meters (118 feet) per side, designed by Pietro Vasselletto and family in the early 13th century, with an ancient 8th/9th-century well in the middle. It contains Cosmatesque art, the tomb of Cardinal Riccardo Annibaldi (1289) by Arnolfo di Cambio, a fragment of Lorenzo Valla's tomb, gravestones from the Basilica, a stone seat used by popes, and a stone panel copy of Pope Gregory IX's 1372 Papal Bull on the primacy of Saint John Lateran. | |||
==Relics== | ==Relics== | ||
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Other reliquaries and devotional elements exist, but specifics on first-, second-, or third-class classifications beyond these major ones are not detailed in public sources. The presence of relics in the altar follows traditional Catholic liturgical practice for consecration. | Other reliquaries and devotional elements exist, but specifics on first-, second-, or third-class classifications beyond these major ones are not detailed in public sources. The presence of relics in the altar follows traditional Catholic liturgical practice for consecration. | ||
According to Wikipedia, the high altar houses a relic of the original wooden altar used by Saint Peter. The Tabula Magna Lateranensis (13th century), on the left side of the sacristy door, lists main relics preserved in the basilica. A similar 13th-century panel on the right side describes works done in the ninth century. The basilica claimed in the 12th century to house the Ark of the Covenant and holy objects from Jerusalem in the high altar, presenting it as the Temple of the New Covenant. The skull of Saint Peter is claimed to reside there since at least the ninth century, alongside the skull of Saint Paul. | |||
According to the HumanaLens guide, the relics include those in the Confessio, with the tomb of Pope Martin V (1369-1431). In the ciborium, the supposed heads of St. Peter and St. Paul in reliquaries behind bars. In the Altar of SS. Sacramento, the relic of the table used by Christ during the Last Supper. | |||
==Architecture== | ==Architecture== | ||
The basilica combines elements from various periods: early Christian foundations, medieval remnants (e.g., baptistery), Baroque interior by Borromini, and neoclassical façade by Alessandro Galilei (1735).<ref>Architectural history from official site and Wikipedia.</ref> | The basilica combines elements from various periods: early Christian foundations, medieval remnants (e.g., baptistery), Baroque interior by Borromini, and neoclassical façade by Alessandro Galilei (1735).<ref>Architectural history from official site and Wikipedia.</ref> | ||
According to Wikipedia, the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran is the oldest public church in Rome and the oldest basilica in the Western world, founded in the 4th century, consecrated in AD 324, and completed in its current form in 1735. It follows the conventional Late Antique format with a peristyle surrounded by colonnades and a fountain in the middle, divided by rows of columns into aisles. The façade by Alessandro Galilei (1735) creates a narthex or vestibule, with a central bay extended by flanking columns supporting an arch in a Serlian motif, capped by a pediment breaking into the roof balustrade. | |||
The Lateran Baptistery, adjacent and somewhat apart, is octagonal, founded by Pope Sixtus III perhaps on an earlier structure, centered on a large basin for full immersions, and served as Rome's only baptistery for generations, modeling others in Italy and appearing in illuminated manuscripts as the "fountain of life." A legend states Emperor Constantine I was baptized there and enriched it. | |||
The Loggia delle Benedizioni is on the rear left side, annexed to the Lateran Palace. Substantial remains of the Castra Nova equitum singularium fort lie beneath the nave. The cloister is 13th-century, surrounded by inlaid marble columns. | |||
According to the HumanaLens guide, the architecture originated from the Primitive Basilica consecrated in 324, with a Roman basilica style featuring 5 naves (one central and four lateral) divided by column pillars, a fastigium (4-column structure) separating the church from the presbytery, an apse with the bishopric seat and main altar, and a façade with a lavish mosaic. This structure and colossal dimensions were retained in the present Basilica. The second version, consecrated by Pope Sergius III in 904-911, included the Patriarchio (Pope's fortified residence), baptistery, and other buildings surrounding it. The third version incorporated Gothic elements like the ciborium (1370, still visible), Cosmatesque flooring (1421), and a Renaissance ceiling. The current fourth version, initiated in 1660 under Pope Alexander VII and completed in 1735 under Pope Clement XII, features Baroque interior by Borromini with monumental tabernacle-shaped niches, low reliefs, painted ovals, and spectacular light effects via changed vaults and lateral naves, while retaining the 16th-century ceiling and Cosmatesque flooring. The neo-classical main façade by Alessandro Galilei (1732-1735) replaced earlier medieval and unexecuted Baroque designs. | |||
According to digital-images.net photo descriptions, the nave features a central nave with a baldachino designed by Giovanni da Stefano in 1367, standing over the Papal Altar, with statues of Saints Peter and Paul above the columns, Borromini’s niches containing statues of the Apostles such as St. James the Greater by Camillo Rusconi and St. Thomas by Pierre le Gros the Younger, reliefs and paintings above the statues, and a porphyry disc in the Cosmatesque floor from 1421-25. The portico ceiling of the Loggia delle Benedizioni has Saints and Angels by Domenico Fontana c. 1586. The Lancellotti Chapel designed by Francesco da Volterra 1585-90 and rebuilt 1674-80 by Giovanni Antonio de Rossi with a Baroque altar niche of stucco angels and putti by de Rossi, stucco work including putti, medallions, and garlands of roses by Filippo Carcani in 1685, an organ designed by Luca Blasi in 1598 with angels, cherubs, reliefs by Giovanni Battista Montano, twisted central pipes, marble reliefs of David and Ezekiel by Ambrogio Buonvicino, and a coffered ceiling with the Coat of Arms of Pope Clement VIII. The Lateran Ambulatory is one of the side aisles. The Confessio under the High Altar has a wooden statue of St. John the Baptist. The Altar of the Blessed Sacrament in the south transept by Pier Paolo Olivieri c. 1599 with a cedar table from the Last Supper, a gilded bronze ciborium tabernacle by Pompeo Targone flanked by verde antico brecchia columns, a gilded silver bas-relief of the Last Supper by Curzio Vanni cast by Orazio Censore, gilded bronze columns from the Temple of Jupiter recast from Cleopatra’s ships, a fresco of the Ascension of Christ by Giuseppe Cesari (Cavaliere d’Arpino) 1599-1601, the monumental tomb of Pope Leo XIII by Giulio Tadolini from 1907 with statues of a worker and Faith, and a fresco over the tomb depicting Christ in the Apse by Cavaliere d’Arpino and others. | |||
===External features=== | ===External features=== | ||
* Monumental façade with 15 colossal statues, including Christ the Redeemer at center, flanked by Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist, and Doctors of the Church.<ref>Galilei design.</ref> | * Monumental façade with 15 colossal statues, including Christ the Redeemer at center, flanked by Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist, and Doctors of the Church.<ref>Galilei design.</ref> | ||
* Adjacent Lateran | * Adjacent Lateran Obelisk, the largest standing ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world.<ref>Historical descriptions.</ref> | ||
According to Wikipedia, the main façade was designed by Alessandro Galilei and completed in 1735 under Pope Clement XII. It features a neo-classical design, removing earlier basilical elements, and includes a large Latin inscription reading: "Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang," translating to "The Supreme Pontiff Clement XII, in the fifth year of his Pontificate, dedicated this building to Christ the Saviour, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist." The façade expresses the nave and double aisles with a central bay wider than the rest, using flanking columns in a Serlian motif and Corinthian pilasters. Next to the main entrance is an inscription declaring the archbasilica as the "mother church" of the world, encircled by a laurel wreath and the Papal tiara. | |||
Adjacent to the basilica is the Lateran Obelisk, the largest standing ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world, weighing an estimated 455 tons. Commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmose III and erected by Thutmose IV before the Karnak temple in Thebes, Egypt, it was intended for Constantinople by Emperor Constantine I but shipped to Rome, erected in the Circus Maximus in AD 357, broken and buried, rediscovered in the 16th century, and re-erected on a new pedestal by Pope Sixtus V on 3 August 1588. | |||
The Scala Sancta, or Holy Stairs, consist of white marble steps encased in wooden ones, supposedly the staircase from Pontius Pilate's praetorium in Jerusalem, sanctified by Jesus Christ's footsteps during His Passion, translated to the Lateran Palace in the 4th century by Saint Empress Helena, and relocated in 1589 by Pope Sixtus V to its present location before the Sancta Sanctorum. Some frescoes on the walls were completed by Ferraù Fenzoni. | |||
According to the HumanaLens guide, the main façade is made of travertine, commissioned by Pope Clement XII in 1732 and designed by architect Alessandro Galilei, completed by 1735. It is neo-classical in style, with 5 portals preceded by a loggia with porfido columns, symbolizing the place from where the Pope appears to bless believers. The façade includes escutcheons of Pope Clement XII, the Keys of St. Peter as a symbol of the Church, a dedicatory effigy with the name of Clement XII in the middle, and an ancient image of Christ from the 13th-century Basilica inscribed in a triangle (tympanum). Above, a balcony features 15 statues, each 7 meters (23 feet) high, with Christ in the center, St. John the Baptist on his left, St. John the Evangelist on his right, and the other 12 figures as Fathers of the Church. The portico has a barrel-vaulted ceiling showing Pope Clement XII's escutcheon and his escutcheon on the floor. It includes five doors, one accessing the nearby Lateran Palace, and the central bronze door from the Curia Iulia in the Foro Romano, brought in 1660 and adapted by Francesco Borromini. Bas-reliefs on the walls depict the deeds of St. John the Baptist, and on the extreme right is the Holy Door (Porta Sancta), opened only during Jubilees for remission of sins, installed in 2000. Also on the extreme right is an ancient statue of Emperor Constantine, placed by Pope Clement XII in 1735. The lateral façade, more ancient (16th/17th century), is preceded by a portico with a loggia designed by Domenico Fontana, featuring two bell towers from the 16th century. The loggia is frescoed (1587-88) with figures of the Virgin Mary, Apostles, prophets, saints, and an image of the Pope blessing the people, including a statue of Henry IV, King of France (1553-1610), on the left. | |||
According to digital-images.net photo descriptions, the exterior includes the Lateran Obelisk, the tallest in Rome at 32.18 meters plus base and cross, made of red granite weighing 455 tons, originally from Karnak c. 1430 BC and brought to Rome by Constantius II in 357 AD, along with a Baroque facade created by Alessandro Galilei in 1735. | |||
===Interior features=== | ===Interior features=== | ||
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* Apse with 13th-century mosaic depicting the Triumph of the Cross and Christ the Savior.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | * Apse with 13th-century mosaic depicting the Triumph of the Cross and Christ the Savior.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | ||
* Cloister and baptistery as separate historic structures.<ref>Medieval additions.</ref> | * Cloister and baptistery as separate historic structures.<ref>Medieval additions.</ref> | ||
According to Wikipedia, the interior was renovated in the late 17th century and features a nave length of 140 m (460 ft), width of 73 m (240 ft), and nave width of 65 m (213 ft), constructed with marble, granite, and cement. The high altar includes a relic of the original wooden altar used by Saint Peter. Above the 14th-century Gothic ciborium over the high altar are statues of Saints Peter and Paul. | |||
The apse contains the papal cathedra in Cosmatesque style decorations. It is lined with mosaics from the Triclinium of Pope Leo III in the ancient Lateran Palace, depicting a tripartite scene: in the center, Christ gives the Apostles their mission; on the left, He gives the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Pope Sylvester I and the Labarum to Emperor Constantine I; on the right, Saint Peter gives the papal stole to Pope Leo III and the standard to Charlemagne. The apse is open to the air and preserves memories of the ancient palace. | |||
Francesco Borromini's 17th-century transformation created twelve niches filled in 1718 with statues of the Apostles (with Judas Iscariot replaced by Saint Paul), sculpted by prominent Roman Rococo artists. The statues, dated according to archival findings, include: | |||
- **South wall**: Saint Simon by Francesco Moratti (1704–1709); Saint Bartholomew by Pierre Le Gros (c. 1705–1712); Saint James the Lesser by Angelo de' Rossi (1705–1711); Saint John by Camillo Rusconi (1705–1711); Saint Andrew by Rusconi (1705–1709); Saint Peter by Pierre-Étienne Monnot (1704–1711). | |||
- **North wall**: Saint Paul by Monnot (1704–1708); Saint James the Greater by Rusconi (1715–1718); Saint Thomas by Pierre Le Gros (1705–1711); Saint Philip by Giuseppe Mazzuoli (1705–1711); Saint Matthew by Rusconi (1711–1715); Saint Jude Thaddeus by Lorenzo Ottoni (1704–1709). | |||
The decorated ceiling is noted in gallery images. The cloister of the attached monastery features columns of inlaid marble in a style intermediate between Romanesque and Gothic, worked by Vassellectus and the Cosmati family. | |||
According to the HumanaLens guide, the interior is Baroque in style, primarily designed by Francesco Borromini in the 17th century, maintaining the original 5-nave, cross-shaped plan with a main central nave and four lateral smaller naves. The central nave is divided from the laterals by ancient columns from the old Basilica embedded within 5 huge pillars per side, each with a tabernacle-shaped niche, a bas-relief on top, and a painted oval above. The flooring is Cosmatesque, made in 1421 of white and colored marble with depicted columns, symbolizing Pope Martin V. The ceiling is made of golden wood, created between 1562-67 by Daniele Da Volterra, including papal and liturgical symbols and escutcheons of notable popes. The Confessio consists of two rounds of bronze and marble stairs, the most sacred spot with precious relics, originally from 844 and current version from 1857 by Pope Pius IX, including the gravestone of Pope Martin V (1369-1431) and a 16th-century statue of St. John the Baptist in front. The Gothic ciborium, rebuilt after a fire by Giovanni di Stefano in 1370-71, is a freestanding covering for the main altar, with decorations and frescoes depicting New Testament scenes and Evangelists, housing reliquaries behind bars for the supposed heads of St. Peter and St. Paul. The high altar, made in 1851 under Pope Pius IX, lies under the ciborium and originally may have comprised the wood panel used by St. Peter for mass, accessible only to the Pope. The transept, modified under Pope Clement VIII for the 1600 Jubilee by Giacomo Della Porta, has a wooden ceiling recalling the main nave, walls with 8 frescoes of Apostles, Biblical scenes, and scenes from Constantine's life by artists including Cavalier d'Arpino, Pomarancio, and Giovanni Baglione. It includes the Altar of SS. Sacramento (16th century) with portions of the ancient Basilica and the relic of the table used by Christ during the Last Supper. Other features in the transept: a 16th-century organ, the tomb of Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) in a potent pose at the sacristy entrance, the Cappella Colonna with wooden choir, colorful marbles, and golden decoration, and the tomb of Innocent III (1198-1216), moved in the 19th century from Perugia. The lateral naves, designed by Borromini, feature games of lights and white effects for illumination, with chapels of Roman families, tombs, gravestones of cardinals, benefactors, and popes, frescoes, and medieval elements modified in Baroque style. Right side highlights: chapels of Orsini, Torlonia, Massimo, and Farnese families; tomb of Pope Sergius IV (1009-1012); tomb of Pope Alexander III (1159-1181); cenotaph of Pope Sylvester II (999-1003), whose body was found intact in 1684 but dissolved, surrounded by legends; fragment of Giotto's frescoes depicting Boniface VIII announcing the Jubilee, inscribed in a tabernacle behind glass. Left side highlights: Cappella Corsini, neo-classical designed by Alessandro Galilei, with shiny marbles, pompous decorations, and tomb of Pope Clement XII (1730-1740), a Corsini family member. Cappella Sanseverina with a 3rd-century Roman sarcophagus altar belonging to a soldier and a painting attributed to Perugino depicting the Virgin Mary with the Child and Saints. | |||
According to digital-images.net photo descriptions, the nave features a central nave with a baldachino designed by Giovanni da Stefano in 1367, standing over the Papal Altar, with statues of Saints Peter and Paul above the columns, Borromini’s niches containing statues of the Apostles such as St. James the Greater by Camillo Rusconi and St. Thomas by Pierre le Gros the Younger, reliefs and paintings above the statues, and a porphyry disc in the Cosmatesque floor from 1421-25. The portico ceiling of the Loggia delle Benedizioni has Saints and Angels by Domenico Fontana c. 1586. The Lancellotti Chapel designed by Francesco da Volterra 1585-90 and rebuilt 1674-80 by Giovanni Antonio de Rossi with a Baroque altar niche of stucco angels and putti by de Rossi, stucco work including putti, medallions, and garlands of roses by Filippo Carcani in 1685, an organ designed by Luca Blasi in 1598 with angels, cherubs, reliefs by Giovanni Battista Montano, twisted central pipes, marble reliefs of David and Ezekiel by Ambrogio Buonvicino, and a coffered ceiling with the Coat of Arms of Pope Clement VIII. The Lateran Ambulatory is one of the side aisles. The Confessio under the High Altar has a wooden statue of St. John the Baptist. The Altar of the Blessed Sacrament in the south transept by Pier Paolo Olivieri c. 1599 with a cedar table from the Last Supper, a gilded bronze ciborium tabernacle by Pompeo Targone flanked by verde antico brecchia columns, a gilded silver bas-relief of the Last Supper by Curzio Vanni cast by Orazio Censore, gilded bronze columns from the Temple of Jupiter recast from Cleopatra’s ships, a fresco of the Ascension of Christ by Giuseppe Cesari (Cavaliere d’Arpino) 1599-1601, the monumental tomb of Pope Leo XIII by Giulio Tadolini from 1907 with statues of a worker and Faith, and a fresco over the tomb depicting Christ in the Apse by Cavaliere d’Arpino and others. | |||
Associated buildings include the Lateran Palace (now used for diocesan purposes) and the Scala Sancta. | Associated buildings include the Lateran Palace (now used for diocesan purposes) and the Scala Sancta. | ||
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The basilica is rich in art, with emphasis on Christ the Savior (primary dedication), Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist. | The basilica is rich in art, with emphasis on Christ the Savior (primary dedication), Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist. | ||
According to Wikipedia, the interior includes Cosmatesque decorations in the apse and pavement. Porticoes were frescoed, probably not earlier than the 12th century, depicting the Roman fleet under Vespasian, the taking of Jerusalem, the Baptism of Emperor Constantine I, and his "Donation" of the Papal States to the Catholic Church. The apse mosaics are from Pope Leo III's Triclinium, as described. The statues of the Apostles in niches are Rococo sculptures by artists such as Pierre-Étienne Monnot, Francesco Moratti, Lorenzo Ottoni, Giuseppe Mazzuoli, Pierre Le Gros, Angelo de' Rossi, Camillo Rusconi. | |||
Gallery images show a decorated ceiling, Our Lady of Częstochowa depiction, and interior apse views. | |||
According to the HumanaLens guide, the art includes frescoes in the transept with Apostles, Biblical scenes, and Constantine's life by Cavalier d'Arpino, Pomarancio, and Giovanni Baglione. The apse mosaics by Jacopo Torriti (late 13th century, reproduced early 20th century) depict Christ as bust on golden background, Cross as Tree of Life, 4 rivers symbolizing Gospels with deers and lambs drinking, phoenix at base, figures of St. Paul, Peter, John the Evangelist, John the Baptist, Andrew, Virgin Mary with kneeling Pope Nicholas III, and Apostles below windows. A fragment of Giotto's frescoes (from Boniface VIII's cycle, behind glass in lateral nave) depicts Boniface VIII announcing the Jubilee. The ceiling by Daniele Da Volterra (1562-67) includes papal and liturgical symbols. Bas-reliefs above niches depict scenes like Resurrection of Christ, Christ in Limbo, Arrest of Jesus, Ascent to Golgotha, Baptism of Christ, Crucifixion, Fall of Man, Noah's Ark, Sacrifice of Isaac, Joseph Sold by Brothers, Exodus, and Jonah and the Whale. Ovals feature prophets like Nahum, Jonah, Amos, Osee, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Baruch, Daniel, Joel, Abdias, and Micha. The loggia is frescoed with Virgin Mary, Apostles, prophets, saints, and Pope blessing. Cappella Corsini has shiny marbles and pompous decorations. Cappella Sanseverina includes a Perugino-attributed painting of Virgin Mary with Child and Saints. | |||
According to digital-images.net photo descriptions, the statue of Henry IV of France in bronze by Nicholas Cordier from 1608 in a dark niche. | |||
===Stained Glass Windows=== | ===Stained Glass Windows=== | ||
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* Façade statues: Christ central, Saints John, Apostles, and Doctors.<ref>18th-century additions.</ref> | * Façade statues: Christ central, Saints John, Apostles, and Doctors.<ref>18th-century additions.</ref> | ||
* Interior: Twelve Apostles statues (Bernini school or similar).<ref>Baroque period.</ref> | * Interior: Twelve Apostles statues (Bernini school or similar).<ref>Baroque period.</ref> | ||
According to Wikipedia, the high altar ciborium has statues of Saints Peter and Paul above it. The twelve Apostle statues in niches, completed 1718, are larger-than-life, with Saint Peter sponsored by the Pope and Saint John the Evangelist by Cardinal Pamphili. A 4th-century statue of Emperor Constantine, found elsewhere in Rome, was moved to the narthex by Pope Clement XII. A statue of Saint John the Baptist is in the exterior gallery. Statues of Saints Peter and Paul are in the cloister. | |||
According to the HumanaLens guide, the 12 monumental Apostles in Borromini's niches, commissioned in 1702 by Pope Clement XI based on Carlo Maratta's drawings, each with a distinctive element and behind doors forming the 12 doors of the Heavenly Jerusalem. Right side (from main portal to altar): St. Jude Thaddeus by Lorenzo Ottoni; St. Matthew by Camillo Rusconi; St. Philip by Giuseppe Mazzuoli; St. Thomas by Pierre Le Gros; St. James the Greater by Camillo Rusconi; St. Paul by Pierre-Étienne Monnot. Left side (from altar to portal): St. Peter by Pierre-Étienne Monnot; St. Andrew by Camillo Rusconi; St. John the Evangelist by Camillo Rusconi; St. James the Lesser by Angelo De' Rossi; St. Bartholomew by Pierre Le Gros; St. Simon by Francesco Moratti. | |||
===Other Artwork=== | ===Other Artwork=== | ||
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* Apse mosaic (13th century): Triumph of the Cross, Christ, Virgin Mary, Saints John, and symbolic vines.<ref>Medieval remnant.</ref> | * Apse mosaic (13th century): Triumph of the Cross, Christ, Virgin Mary, Saints John, and symbolic vines.<ref>Medieval remnant.</ref> | ||
* Paintings around the ciborium by Antoniazzo Romano (15th century).<ref>Relics section.</ref> | * Paintings around the ciborium by Antoniazzo Romano (15th century).<ref>Relics section.</ref> | ||
According to Wikipedia, the apse mosaics, derived from the Triclinium of Pope Leo III, form a tripartite composition: Christ central giving mission to Apostles; left, keys to Sylvester I, Labarum to Constantine I; right, stole to Leo III, standard to Charlemagne. Some original mosaics may be preserved in this niche. | |||
According to the HumanaLens guide, the apse golden mosaics, a reproduction of 13th-century originals by Jacopo Torriti, remade under Pope Leo XIII in the early 20th century based on drawings, featuring a bust of Christ in the middle top on a golden background with the Cross as the Tree of Life symbolizing Resurrection, 4 rivers symbolizing the Gospels with deers (pagans and Hebrews) and lambs (Christians) drinking, a phoenix symbolizing eternity, figures including St. Paul, Peter, John the Evangelist, John the Baptist, Andrew, Virgin Mary with kneeling Pope Nicholas III, and Apostles below between windows. The presence of St. Francis and St. Anthony (smaller figures) indicates the mosaics were made after their canonization. | |||
According to digital-images.net photo descriptions, the apse mosaic includes a dome of the Papal Cathedra with a composite from several eras, including a 4th or 5th-century dark section depicting Christ surrounded by nine seraphim, a 6th-century central section with a crux gammata, jeweled cross, dove representing the Holy Spirit, four rivers of the Gospels with stags and sheep drinking, the River Jordan symbolizing baptism, the City of Jerusalem with a Phoenix on the Tree of Life, guarded by St. Peter, St. Paul, and an armed Angel, saints including Mary, Nicholas IV, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John the Baptist, St. Antony of Padua, St. John the Evangelist, and St. Andrew, and a 13th-century lower section with seven Apostles by Jacopo da Camerino and Jacopo Torriti. | |||
====Image gallery==== | ====Image gallery==== | ||