SAINT JOHN LATERAN

The mosaic in the apse of St. John Lateran, as we see it today, is the result of a series of interventions that have occurred since the fourth century, until 1900.

The mosaic consists of three compartments, in the upper one, on cobalt blue background, we see the extraordinarily expressive face of the Redeemer brought by clouds, which dates back to Constantine age, while the cherubim are medieval works by Jacopo Torriti.

Even more complex is the middle band, on a gold background, which certainly date back to the time of Pope Nicholas IV, the first Franciscan Pope. The small figures of the Pope himself, St. Francis and the Franciscan St. Anthony of Padua are the work of Jacopo Torriti. The right arm of the Virgin Mary, with her hand resting on the head of the Pope, was probably still retouched by Jacopo Torriti.

The Lateran Cross might be of the Constantine age, while it is uncertain to date the figures, from left to right: St. Paul, St. Peter, Our Lady, St. John the Baptist, St. Sylvester and St. John the Evangelist. The golden background leaves still think of the Byzantine influence.

The third thin strip of the apse, with dominant cobalt blue, represents the Jordan River. At the center of the band you can see the golden walls of Jerusalem, where, taking a closer look, on two towers appear busts of St. Peter and St. Paul, while over the walls the phoenix on the palm signifies the resurrection of the body at the end of time.
This third band, unless restoration, dates back to Constantine.

The most invasive intervention is due to Pope Pius IX, who moved back the apse, consequently causing the restoring of the mosaics. The massive work was completed under Pope Leo XIII, the "Pope of Workers", who with the famous encyclical Rerum Novarum laid the foundations of the social doctrine of the church.

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