The Station Church at Rome today, the First Sunday of Lent, is The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, whose formal name is the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist at the Lateran. The Lateran Basilica, is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. It is the oldest and ranks first among the four Papal Basilicas or major basilicas of Rome (having the cathedra of the Bishop of Rome). It claims the title of ecumenical mother church among Roman Catholics. The current archpriest is Agostino Vallini, Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome. The President of the French Republic, currently François Hollande, is ex officio the first and only honorary canon of the basilica, a title held by the heads of the French state since King Henry IV of France. An inscription on the façade, Christo Salvatori, indicates the churchs dedication to Christ the Saviour, for the cathedrals of all patriarchs are dedicated to Christ himself. As the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, it ranks above all other churches in the Catholic Church, including St. Peters Basilica. For that reason, unlike all other Roman Basilicas, it holds the title of Archbasilica. The archbasilica is located outside of the boundaries of Vatican City proper, although within the city of Rome. However it enjoys extraterritorial status as one of the properties of the Holy See. This is also the case with several other buildings, following the resolution of the Roman Question with the signing of the Lateran Treaty. The Church was constructed on the site of the Lateran Palace during the reign of Pope St. Sylvester, with the public permission of Emperor Constantine given after 312. The first mention in ancient sources is from 313, when a consistory of bishops was held in Domum Faustae in Laterano. This refers to Fausta, Constantines second wife, who was a convert. The Popes lived in the Lateran palace until Clement V (1305–1314) transferred the papal seat to Avignon. After the return of the Pope to Rome in 1377, the Vatican palace was chosen as the papal residence. The property belonged to the Laterani family, but when they fell from grace it was confiscated. Constantine gave it to the church, and the church was built. It was first known as the Basilica Salvatoris, Basilica of the Saviour. The present name is a result of the importance of the baptistry in the church, and of the presence of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Sts John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. At an early stage, it was also called the Basilica Aurea, The Golden Basilica, because of its rich decorations. The basilica was sacked by the Vandals in the 5th century, and restored by Pope St Gregory the Great c. 590. The first major restoration was ordered by Pope Saint Sergius I (687–701). It was restored again within a century, by Pope Hadrian I (772–779). In 897, the basilica was the scene of the cadaver synod, when Pope VI (896–897) had the body of Pope Formosus (891-896) exhumed and put on a mock trial. The corpse was convicted and desecrated. During the synod, the basilica was, ominously, severely damaged by an earthquake. Pope Sergius III (904–911) had the basilica completely rebuilt because of the earthquake damage. The old foundations were used, and it was built within the old perimeter. It was after this rebuilding that it was formally dedicated to St John the Baptist. The additional dedication to St John the Evangelist was made by Pope Lucius II (1144–1145). An excellent fresco of the Medieval basilica can be seen in San Martino ai Monti. On 6 May 1308, the basilica was totally destroyed by fire. Pope Clement V (1305–1314) started rebuilding it, but it was destroyed by fire again in 1360. Pope Urban V (1362–1370) commissioned Giovanni Stefano to rebuild it. Pope Eugene IV (1431–1447) decided to rebuild parts of it. In 1646, the basilica was in danger of collapsing. Pope Innocent X gave the task of restoring it to Francesco Borromini, in preparation for the Holy Year of 1650. It was during Borrominis restoration that the church was given its Baroque look; it no longer looks like ancient basilica. Only the gilded ceiling and the Cosmatesque floor were kept; the former has since been restored and altered considerably. The dimensions were not changed much, the present church measuring 130 by 54 metres. Some changes were made in 1884, when Pope Leo XIII had the Vespignanis, father and son, extend the choir and and move the apse mosaics. At around the same time, possibly from 1880, excavations were carried out which revealed remains of earlier buildings below the basilica. Further excavations were carried out 1934–1938. It was revealed that the basilica was built on the foundations of the barracks of the equites singulares, part of Maxentiuss army. This adds another factor to the choice of the site; by demolishing the barracks of his enemy and erecting a Christian basilica over the foundations, Constantines victory was made even more complete.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 11:14:58 +0000
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