The Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano of Rome !!!

Posted in Europe

Well again, looking into my cd rom vault saw some pictures from our trip to Rome not yet in my blog and they should be for you and me. In our road walking tour of the city we came upon some nice squares or piazzas and this is the opportunity to have them here. Therefore, here is my take on the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano of Rome !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

The Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano is located on the edge of the historic center, near the Aurelian Walls and Porta San Giovanni. Here several streets intersect, including the Via Merulana, which leads directly to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Papal Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, then the early Christian Lateran Baptistery, the Sanctuary of the Scala Santa with its famous steps, the Lateran Obelisk, the tallest in Rome, and the Lateran Palace, which was the residence of the Popes before the Vatican.

The main facade of the Lateran Basilica is located more precisely on Piazza di Porta San Giovanni, in the part of the square towards the walls, while on the other side is the Loggia delle Benedizioni. In the center of the square, since the end of the 16C, stands the oldest and tallest obelisk in the city, almost 31 meters high, in red granite, which came from the temple of Amun in Thebes (Luxor) dating back to the 15C BC. At the foot of this, a fountain was installed at the beginning of the 17C. The building that dominates the square is the Lateran Palace, built on the remains of the ancient Palace of the Popes from the time of Constantine and abandoned when the popes moved to Avignon. In front of the palace, the Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs, also arranged by Domenico Fontana, includes the Sancta Sanctorum chapel, originally the private chapel of the popes, and the Holy Stairs, the sacred stairs, which are said to be the ones in the Palace of Pontius Pilate climbed by Jesus. On the west side of the square, the hospital of the Santissimo Salvatore, also called the hospital of San Giovanni, built in the 14C, later expanded, rebuilt in the 17C. The Women’s Hospital located at the beginning of Via S. Giovanni in Laterano resembles a church and corresponds to the maternity ward of the Hospital of the Savior built in 1655.

A bit of history tell us that there was a bridge between the pagan and Christian eras, founded by Constantine around 314 AD to host public meetings and administer justice, then transformed into a majestic ecclesiastical structure to accommodate a large multitude of believers. Previously, at the time of Septimius Severus, the barracks of the imperial cavalry and lands belonging to the Lateran family were located in this square. In the Middle Ages, the square was transformed into a fortified citadel of the Campus Lateranensis and the great Palace of the Popes, located between the basilica and the Scala Santa, until the urban transformations of Domenico Fontana desired by Pope Sixtus V at the end of the 16C. At that time the entire square was arranged, with the new Lateran Palace, the sanctuary of the Scala Santa, the installation of the obelisk, etc.

The Rome tourist office on the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano: https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/piazza-san-giovanni-laterano

There you go folks, another dandy in eternal Rome! We love our visit and will come back eventually, There were wonderful walks and recommended to all, just do the walking and enjoy the dolce vita ! Again, hope you enjoy the  Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano of Rome !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

Unknown's avatar

Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.