FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF LATERAN BASILICA

 DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA NOVEMBER 9

INTRODUCTION

A Basilica is a church building that has been recognized and accorded special privileges by the pope. The Lateran Basilica in Rome is built by the Emperor Constantine is solemnly dedicated on the 9th November, 324 AD. Remember that at this time in history, the Christian body is still one. The first major division, which we also call the Great East-West Schism, took place in 1054 AD. So, as at the dedication of this Basilica, it is the first and the oldest Christian Basilica. It is considered the mother and head of all churches of Rome and the world. It is the Cathedral of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome. 

ORIGIN OF THE LATERAN BASILICA

The Lateran Basilica is built on Lateran hill where there was the Lateran palace. In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine granted freedom to Christians and donated the Lateran Palace to the Church. The first basilica was built on this property and completed in 324 AD. Pope Sylvester I consecrated the basilica, dedicating it to Christ the Savior. So, the original and primary dedication of the basilica was to Christ the Savior. The basilica was later also placed under the patronage of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, after a chapel dedicated to John the Baptist was added and eventually the patronage of John the Evangelist was also included. 

The names are Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (officially the Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World), commonly known as the Lateran Basilica or Saint John Lateran,

HISTORY OF THE LATERAN BASILICA

The church building has a long and storied history. In the year 64, the erratic and cruel Roman Emperor Nero blamed a devastating fire in Rome on the Christians. In retaliation, he ordered the execution of many Christians, including Saints Peter and Paul. In 65, there was a conspiracy to kill Nero with the help of the Counsel-designate Plautius Lateranus (Lateran). When Nero learned of the plot, he immediately beheaded Lateranus and confiscated his home, the Lateran Palace. Subsequent Roman emperors used the palace in various ways over the next 250 years, such as a military fort. In 312 AD, when Emperor Constantine the Great became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire, he took possession of the Lateran Palace. In 313 AD, after issuing the Edict of Milan with Emperor Licinius of the Eastern Roman Empire, Christians were granted freedom of worship. Constantine donated the Lateran Palace to Pope Miltiades who first used it to conduct a synod of bishops and then began constructing the first Basilica in Rome. Upon its completion, this major church was dedicated to Christ the Holy Saviour on November 9 324 AD by Pope Sylvester and given the name the House of God, with a special designation to Christ the Savior. With that, the first cathedral in the most important diocese was established.

It is the only “archbasilica” in the world; and it lies outside of Vatican City proper, which is located approximately four kilometers (2+1⁄2 miles) northwest. Nevertheless, as properties of the Holy See, the archbasilica and its adjoining edifices enjoy an extraterritorial status from Italy, pursuant to the terms of the Lateran Treaty of 1929. Dedicated to Christ the Saviour, in honor of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, the place name  Laterano (Lateran)  comes from an ancient Roman family (gens), whose palace (domus) grounds occupied the site. The adjacent Lateran Palace was the primary residence of the pope until the middle Ages.

The church is the oldest of the four major papal basilicas [St Peters Basilica in Vatican, St Johns Lateran Basilica, St Mary Majors Basilica and St Pauls Basilica Outside the Walls], and it is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. It is the oldest public church in the city of Rome, and the oldest basilica in the Western world. It has the title of ecumenical mother church of the Catholic faithful. 

Though the basilica was first dedicated to Christ the Savior, in the tenth century Pope Sergius III added a new baptistry and rededicated the basilica to Saint John the Baptist. In the twelfth century, Pope Lucius II dedicated the basilica to Saint John the Evangelist. The basilica, therefore, honors Christ the Savior first and the two Saint Johns as the co-patrons.

While the Lateran Basilica has remained the cathedral of the Pope from the time of its dedication, the Lateran Palace, next to the Basilica, was the papal residence from 3241305. In 1305, Pope Clement V was elected to the papacy and refused to move to Rome. In 1309, he moved the entire papal court to Avignon, France, where it remained until Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome from Avignon in 1377. Upon the return of Pope Gregory XI to Rome, the Lateran Palace was in disrepair due to two fires (the building deteriorated during the Middle Ages and was badly damaged by two fires in the 14th century), so the pope eventually built a new palace next to Saint Peters on Vatican Hill, where every subsequent pope has resided until today.

The Lateran Basilica was rebuilt in the late 16th century during the reign of Pope Sixtus V. The interior of the new structure was renovated in the late 17th century, and its façade was completed in 1735 under Pope Clement XII.

The current Rector is Cardinal Archpriest Baldassare Reina, Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome since 6 October 2024. The president of the French Republic, currently Emmanuel Macron, is ex officio the First and Only Honorary Canon of the archbasilica, a title that the heads of state of France have possessed since King Henry IV.

The large Latin inscription on the façade reads: Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang. This abbreviated inscription translates as: The Supreme Pontiff Clement XII, in the fifth year [of his Pontificate, dedicated this building] to Christ the Saviour, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and [John] the Evangelist. Because Christ the Saviour is its primary dedication, its titular feast day is 6 August.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LATERAN BASILICA

First, the Lateran Basilica is the first major Church to be built. It holds the title Mother and Head of all the Churches of the City and the World because of its status as the first major church built after Christianity was legalized. Second, it is the Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Rome in the city of Rome, Italy and it is the seat of the Pope as Bishop of Rome. Third, the basilica is a powerful symbol of the unity of all Catholics and the endurance of the Church through centuries of history, having been rebuilt after destruction by fire and earthquakes. 

SIGNIFICANCE OF CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF LATERAN BASILICA

In celebrating this feast we express our union with our Pope and our loyalty to him as supreme leader of the Church. The feast also invites us to reflect on the important role of church buildings in our lives as communities of faith, call to worship and praying together. It also challenges us to recognize our personal baptismal identity as temples of the Holy Spirit, and to confirm that identity by the way we live

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF DEDICATION OF LATERAN BASILICA WHEN IT FAILS ON A SUNDAY 

We celebrate it when it falls on a Sunday because this feast is numbered and categorized among the Feasts of the Lord [cf. Proper of Saints (Proprio dei santi, Italian Version)]. It is a feast of the Lord and not just like any other Feast of Dedication of a Church.  It earned this unique status because the basilica itself is dedicated to Christ the Saviour, to the Lord Himself. We observe this in the official name of the Basilica: Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of All Churches in Rome and in the World.

So, the basilica is officially named after Christ, the Most Holy Saviour. It later adopted St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist as its principal patron saints. With time, the name St John Lateran (the John refers to the two Johns) became rather popular, as we have it today.

The liturgical principle is that all Feasts of the Lord, though not solemnities in themselves, rank higher than the Sundays of Ordinary Time (cf. Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, n. 5). As such, when they clash (coincide) with a Sunday in Ordinary Time, they take precedence, they overshadow that Sunday. From the above, since the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica is liturgically considered a Feast (proper) of the Lord, it is that which is celebrated when it coincides with a Sunday, just as we had it on Sunday, 9th November 2025; when the universal Church calendar celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica and not the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time. 

CONCLUSION

As we honor the mother church of the whole world, let us reflect on the importance of a church building. A church is sacred because it is exclusively dedicated to the worship of God. Saint John Lateran is an exclusive-purpose church. It is the cathedral of the Pope from which the entire Church is governed and the central place of worship for the world. As we honor the dedication of that church in 324, we pray for the Church today: our local parish, religious institutions, religious orders, dioceses, national conferences, and the Universal Church headed in Rome. 

© Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa

November 11 2025

Memorial of St Martin of Tours