Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. ~ John 2:19-21
This Sunday we celebrate a building – The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist in the Lateran, also called Saint John Lateran, or the Lateran Basilica for short. Although the pope now lives next to Saint Peter’s Basilica, Saint John Lateran is the official cathedral of Rome. That means Saint John Lateran is not only the mother church of the Archdiocese of Rome but also the mother church of the entire world.
The church building has a long and storied history. In the year 64, the erratic and cruel Roman Emperor Nero blamed a devastating fire in Rome on the Christians. In retaliation, he ordered the execution of many Christians, including Saints Peter and Paul. In 65, there was a conspiracy to kill Nero with the help of the Counsel-designate Plautius Lateranus (Lateran). When Nero learned of the plot, he immediately beheaded Lateranus and confiscated his home, the Lateran Palace. Subsequent Roman emperors used the palace in various ways over the next 250 years; at one point it was a military fort. In 312, when Constantine the Great became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire, he took possession of the Lateran Palace. The following year, after issuing the Edict of Milan, Constantine donated the Lateran Palace to Pope Miltiades who first used it to conduct a synod of bishops and then began constructing the first Basilica in Rome. Upon its completion in the year 324, it was dedicated by Pope Sylvester and given the name the “House of God,” with a special designation to Christ the Savior. With that, the first cathedral in the most important diocese was established.
Though the basilica was first dedicated to Christ the Savior, in the tenth century Pope Sergius III added a new baptistry and rededicated the basilica to Saint John the Baptist. In the twelfth century, Pope Lucius II dedicated the basilica to Saint John the Evangelist. The basilica, therefore, honors Christ the Savior first and the two Saint Johns as the co-patrons.
Though the Lateran Basilica has remained the pope’s cathedral from the time of its dedication, the Lateran Palace, next to the Basilica, was the papal residence from 324–1305. In 1305, Pope Clement V was elected to the papacy and refused to move to Rome. In 1309, he moved the entire papal court to Avignon, France, where it remained until Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome from Avignon in 1377. Upon the pope’s return to Rome, the Lateran Palace was in disrepair due to two fires, so the pope eventually built a new palace next to Saint Peter’s on Vatican Hill, where every subsequent pope has resided until today.
As we honor the mother church of the whole world, we might ponder the importance of a church building. A church is sacred because it is dedicated exclusively to the worship of God. Saint John Lateran is the pope’s cathedral from which the entire Church is governed and the central place of worship for the world. As we honor the dedication of that church in 324, pray for the Church today. Pray for our parish, the parishes in our diocese, in our country and in the world. Pray for Pope Leo on this feast, that Saint John Lateran will always be a place where he, and every pope after him, will encounter God in a profound way.
See you in church!
