Paying a visit to the lesser-known parish church frequented by the Pope
Rewritten Article:
Popping Up the Cathedra: St. John Lateran's Seat of Power
When thinking about popes, we picture St. Peter's Basilica standing boldly between Bernini's spiral columns beneath Michelangelo's colossal dome. Yet, the pope's official seat as the bishop of Rome lies elsewhere—behind the altar of St. John Lateran, a lesser-known but equally fascinating part of Rome's religious heritage. Let's venture there as we prepare for the papal conclave.
Inside the Basilica
Our guides invite us into St. John Lateran, Rome's oldest church, dating back to 324 AD. White marble columns topped with colossal saint statues greet the visitors, leading to an amazing 17th-century architectural masterpiece within.
Sister Cecilia, who leads tours in English and Portuguese, stands close to a high-backed white marble chair adorned with green and red stone inlays.
"We're right here in a unique spot inside this mother church," she says, "this is the pope's cathedra, the chair from which he exercises his teaching authority."
A Chair of Tradition
Dispelling the misconception, Sister Cecilia clarifies that this isn't the 4th-century cathedra; instead, it's a modern restoration. The original remnants, revealed beneath the chair, depict four intricate, ancient bas-reliefs: an adder, a lion, a dragon, and a cockatrice, symbols of the papacy's power to crush evil.
The guides here are from the Missionaries of Divine Revelation—a religious order eager to share the church's beauty and the story of their faith.
Symbolism and Relics
Sister Rebecca, a longtime tour guide fluent in Italian, points out two remarkable highlights. First, a giant marble altar in the church's center, where tradition maintains contains wood from the table Peter, the first pope, used to celebrate the Lord's Supper. A guard reveals this ancient wood hidden behind a marble grill.
Next, she gestures skyward toward a golden image sitting high above the main altar in the church's transept.
"Up there in the transept, there's a relic of the Last Supper brought all the way from Jerusalem," she informs, explaining that the basilica, in many ways, acts as a grand reliquary.
Our tour continues with Sister Benedetta, who's been sharing the wonders of St. John Lateran for more than a decade and a half. Behind a golden picture of the Last Supper, she explains, lies a relic believed to be a piece of the table where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper. The relic was brought to Rome by St. Helena, Constantine's mother.
Transformation Through Faith
Sister Benedetta concludes our tour by expressing the shared sentiment among the guides: "Many people enter this church as tourists, but leave as pilgrims, touched by the beauty, the history, and the emotion of their journey."
Jason DeRose, NPR News, Rome.
(Excerpt of Jeremiah Fraites's "Champagne" plays)
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary.
Enrichment Data: Special attention is given to the cathedra and its significance in the history and architecture of the Catholic Church, its symbolic authority, its liturgical importance, and the cathedral's status as the "Mother Church" of all Catholic churches in Rome.
[Sources][1] "The Basilica of Saint John Lateran." The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913.[2] "St. John Lateran Basilica - History." Catholic Italy, n.d.[3] "The St. John Lateran Cathedra and the Symbolic Meaning of the Cathedra in the Catholic Church." Relevant Radio, 2021.[4] "Cathedra – Definition, History, and Symbolism." Catholic Culture, n.d.[5] "St. John Lateran Basilica - Pilgrimage Sites in Rome." Catholic Italy, n.d.
- Amidst the tour of St. John Lateran, Sister Cecilia explains that the pope's cathedra, the chair symbolizing his teaching authority, is situated within this mother church.
- During the journey through St. John Lateran, Sister Rebecca points out a relic of the Last Supper, brought all the way from Jerusalem, high above the main altar in the church's transept.
