Daily Update: November 9, 2010

Today is the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. In the early 4th century the Lateran Palace (built on the site of a Roman fort) was given to the Bishop of Rome by Emperor Constantine. The official dedication of the Basilica and the adjacent Lateran Palace was presided over by Pope Sylvester I in 324, declaring both to be Domus Dei or “House of God.” In its interior, the Papal Throne was placed, making it the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. After suffering destruction by earthquake (in 897 and two fires (one in 1308 and one in 1360), most of the present building dates from the late 14th century, with the facade being erected in 1735. Officially named Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris et Sancti Iohannes Baptista et Evangelista in Laterano (English: Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and Sts. John the Baptist and the Evangelist at the Lateran), it is the oldest and ranks first among the four Papal Basilicas or major basilicas of Rome. It ranks above all other churches in the Catholic Church, including St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The cathedral itself is located outside of the Vatican City boundaries, territorially located within the city of Rome in the Italian Republic. However it has been granted a special extraterritorial status as a property of the Holy See. It claims the title of ecumenical mother church (mother church of the whole inhabited world) among Roman Catholics. And today is also the birthday of my first cousin Marianne (1962).