About Basilica of St. John Lateran

Officially the oldest Papal Basilica of the Vatican and seat of the Pope, the Basilica of St. John Lateran is nearly 1,700 years old. The site of the Basilica was originally the New Fort of the Roman imperial cavalry bodyguards before it was demolished and was replaced by the Laternan Palace, which was subsequently gifted to the Pope by Holy Roman Emperor Constantine. Within the structure stands twelve niches featuring statues of the twelve apostles, papal tombs, the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs), and the Lateran Bapistry, as well as Holy Door.