Lateran Palace

The Lateran Palace stands on the Caelian Hill in Rome, occupying a site that has been central to the history of the Catholic Church for more than seventeen centuries. The original complex served as the principal residence of the popes from the time of Constantine until the papacy's move to Avignon in the fourteenth century, making it one of the most historically significant buildings in Christendom. The present palace was rebuilt under Pope Sixtus V in the late sixteenth century to a design by Domenico Fontana, and it remains the property of the Holy See to this day.

Now operating as a museum, the palace opens its rooms and collections to visitors through a guided tour that traces the layered history of the site, from its early Christian origins through the medieval and Renaissance periods. The tour takes in ceremonial halls, sacred art, and architectural details that reflect the palace's long role at the centre of papal authority. The Lateran Basilica of Saint John, the cathedral church of Rome, stands immediately adjacent, giving the entire complex an exceptional weight of religious and civic history.