Today we celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. It is commonly known as the Church of St. John Lateran. The full and proper name of this Church is: The Patriarchal Basilica of the Most Holy Savior and St. John the Baptist at the Lateran. The Lateran Basilica, built on land owned by the Laterani family, was dedicated by Pope St. Sylvester I on November 9, 324.
We celebrate this feast because the Basilica of St. John Lateran is the Pope’s own Church. It is the cathedral (from the Latin “cathedra” meaning chair) church of the Diocese of Rome. As we know, the Pope is the Bishop of Rome, and in the Lateran Basilica is the “cathedra,” the chair, the episcopal seat of Pope Francis. Near the Basilica is the Lateran Palace, which was the Pope’s official residence until it was moved to the Vatican in the 16th century. Today we celebrate the anniversary of the Lateran Basilica which is called “mother and head of all churches of Rome and the world” (“omnium ecclesiarum Urbis et Orbis mater et caput”).