The Centuries-Old Walls Of A Roman Palace That Once Housed Dozens Of Popes For Hundreds Of Years Were Recently Uncovered In The Piazza San Giovanni
Sometime between the 4th and 14th centuries, a Roman palace housed dozens of popes for hundreds of years. It existed long before the Vatican.
Recently, its centuries-old walls were uncovered during infrastructural work in the current Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano prior to the Catholic Holy Year, or Jubilee, in 2025.
“This is an extraordinarily important find for the city of Rome and its medieval history, as no extensive archaeological excavations have ever been carried out in the square in modern times,” said the Italian Ministry of Culture in a translated statement.
Researchers discovered the walls in the square outside the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. The team was led by Daniela Porro, the director of the ministry’s art history department.
They believe the walls were built as early as the 9th century A.D. as physical protection for a monumental basilica that was threatened by raids from the Saracens and internal conflicts over the control of the papacy among the Roman elite.
According to Italian officials, the remains are linked to Constantine, the first-ever Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He would’ve begun to oversee the construction of the basilica after issuing the Edict of Milan in 313, which was a proclamation that established religious tolerance for Christianity within the Roman Empire.
The building served as the seat of the papacy. Its footprint in Rome expanded in stages between the 9th and 13th centuries until 1305, when the papacy moved to Avignon, France. That was where it stayed for the terms of seven consecutive popes.
The papacy was returned to Rome by Gregory XI in 1377. By then, the Lateran Palace had become rather dilapidated, damaged by earthquakes, fires, and invasions. The papacy was transferred to the Vatican, where it remains to this day.
The Lateran Palace fell out of use, so its walls were destroyed, buried, and forgotten. In the late 16th century, Pope Sixtus V ordered the reconstruction of the palace. In the years since, the palace has served as a museum, an archive, and a hospice.
phant – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
It was also the site where the Lateran Treaty was signed in 1929. In the treaty, Italy officially acknowledged Vatican City as an independent state under the sovereignty of the Holy See.
The ancient structure could shed more light on Italy’s history and the power struggles that shaped the papal seat over time.
The area where the walls were found is being spruced up in advance of Jubilee, a year-long event that starts in December. It is expected to draw over 30 million pilgrims and tourists to Italy.
During Jubilee, Catholics can obtain universal pardon and have their sins and debts forgiven if they fulfill certain conditions and do good work. It is a time to reestablish a proper relationship with God and each other.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:News