[Rome, Italy] Basilica of St. John Lateran

#FreeHotelStay The Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano is one of the four major basilicas in Rome. The basilica was the first church built by Emperor Constantine, who legalized Christianity in the 4th century, and the Lateran Palace next to it was the papacy where successive popes lived for about 1,000 years until the Avignon Punishment (1309). The upper part of the apse has a mosaic, created by Jacobo Torti and Jacobo Camerino in the 13th century. The dazzling gold mosaic is a masterpiece. The inside of the basilica is designed in the gorgeous Baroque style, which gives a sense of the dignity and elegance of the pope.