Lenten Station Church
Saturday Within the Octave of Easter
St. John Lateran
(San Giovanni in Laterano)

The Octave of Easter is the eight-day period that begins on Easter Sunday and ends with the following Sunday. These eight days are also collectively known as Easter Week. Today, on the Saturday Within the Octave of Easter, our fifth and final visit to St John Lateran during this year's Lenten Calendar, we will address two impressive features of the Archbasilica of St John Lateran you must see. St John Lateran - The Apse Mosaic The sanctuary and apse are dominated by a wonderful mosaic executed by two Franciscan friars, Jacopo Torriti and Jacopo da Camerino in the 13th century. The apse is a mosaic, not a painting. This is due to the resistances of mosaics to weathering and aging. The upper part of the apse depicts the Savior among the clouds and surrounded by angels. The golden background, representing heaven, with the saints in the heavens. The saints represented on the left are St Paul, St Peter, St Francis of Assisi, and the Blessed Virgin Mother. Pope Nicholas IV is standing next to the Blessed Virgin. On the right, there are St John the Baptist, St Anthony of Padua, St John the Evangelist, and St Andrew. Above, the heavens open with cherubim encircling Jesus. Going downward through the center, just below Jesus is the Holy Spirit with the rays of grace. There is a cross and four rivers where the sheep, which represent the faithful, come as a source of life. This cross is different from what we normally see because it is made of compartments with stones, gems, inside. This is called a Croce Gemmate, or a gemmed/stoned cross. St John Lateran - Six Papal Tombs Tomb Pope Sergius IV; Tomb Pope Alexander III; Tomb Pope Innocent III Tomb Pope Martin V; Tomb Pope Leo XIII Authorized Photo of Tomb Pope Clement XII Not Available! There are six papal tombs belonging to: Sergius IV (Pietro Martino Boccadiporco) became pope at age 39 from 1009-1012 (2 years, 286 days) Alexander III (Rolando Bandinelli) became pope at age 59 from 1159-1181 (21 years, 357 days) Innocent III (Lotario dei Conti di Segni) became pope at age 37 from 1198-1216 (18 years,190 days) Martin V (Oddone Colonna, O.F.S) became pope at age 48 from 1417-1431 (13 years, 101 days) Clement XII (Lorenzo Corsini, O.F.S) became pope at age 78 from 1730-1740 (9 years, 209 days) Leo XIII (Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele) became pope at age 67 from 1878-1903 (25 years,150 days) Other papal tombs were constructed in the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, but they were destroyed when St John Lateran was burned by the raving fires in1308 and 1361. On your next (or first) visit to Rome, be sure to include on your agenda, a tour of St John Lateran, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the Official Ecclesiastical Seat of the Pope. You are sure to discover fantastic aspects of this historic Archbasilica. Reference: 'Basilica of Saint John Lateran' on Cmswr.org 'Archbasilica of St. John Lateran - Papal Tombs' on LiquiSearch.com 'List of Popes' on Wikipedia.org All Photographs are from Commons.WikiMedia.org Martyrdom Sts Peter & Paul in 64 A.D. - St Paul 449 (1967) Martyrdom Sts Peter & Paul in 64 A.D. - St Peter 448 (1967) St Francis Assisi 750th Anniversary of Death 607 (1977) Feast of the Assumption - Virgin Mary in Heaven 616 (1977) St Gregory & John the Baptist 1326 (2006) Three Notable Saints - St. Anthony of Padua 993 (1995) Evangelist St. John by Fra Angelico C58 (1971) Pope Innocent III 800th Anniversary of Death 1629 (2016) Jubilee Popes 1300-1525 - Pope Martin V 1068 (1998) Jubilee Popes 1750-2000 - Pope Leo XIII 1145 (2000)