San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John Lateran)

Built-in 313 with the construction of a large church, San Giovanni underwent numerous expansions and modifications before being nearly entirely reconstructed in the 16th and 17th centuries. However, in this Baroque reconstruction by Borromini, the basilican plan of the old Constantinian church was respected.

The expansive facade is a masterwork of late Baroque architecture, with its enormous statues built in 1735 by Alessandro Galilei. The ancient Curia in the Forum provided bronze for the doors. The stunning timber ceiling within was constructed in the sixteenth century. There are several beautiful mosaics that are replicas of early Christian originals in the apse, behind the presbytery. You can access the cloister from the left aisle, which is a masterpiece of Vassalletti family architecture from the 13th century. Constantine replaced a Roman nymphaeum in the Lateran Palace with the octagonal San Giovanni in Fonte baptistery. It is the oldest baptistery in all of Christendom and served as a model for later ones in Italy and the rest of Europe.