About the Lateran Palace:
The Lateran Palace is the former residence of the Popes. After the Papacy returned from Avignon, France, the Apostolic Palace replaced the Lateran Palace as the residence of the Popes and today remains the head of the Diocese of Rome.
It is at the Lateran Palace that the Lateran Treaty was signed on February 11, 1929, making the Vatican an independent state.
The room where the Pope received visitors is a main attraction, much more elaborate in style than the Papal apartment, which is rather plain.
The are ten halls within the Lateran Palace:
Each Hall highlights a different aspect of Papal history and the Church’s history. They are Hall of Pontiffs, Hall of Emperors, Halls of the Prophets and Kings, The “Four Seasons” hall, The Apostles’ room, and The Constantine room.
The Hall of the Apostles: This room has wall decorations where ten large episodes from the life of Jesus, concerning the mission of the Apostles, are frescoed. The arrangement of these frescoes is designed to give the illusion that there are large tapestries alternating with paintings. The Pope, the successor of Peter, the first of the Apostles, derives his authority from the Petrine primacy that has been handed down through history over the centuries.
The Hall of the Pontifs: It takes its name from the depiction of nineteen pontiffs that runs along the frieze in the upper register of the room. The latter, from the wooden ceiling to the wall decorations, is a hymn to the works accomplished by Pope Sixtus V in the city of Rome. The hall, however, is now commonly known as the Hall of the Lateran Pacts, as these were made here on February 11, 1929.
The Hall of Constantine: The Hall had been closed for restoration from 2020-2025 but has now been re-opened. Its walls depict three key episodes of early Christian history from pagan Rome to Christian Rome: “The Vision of the Cross”, “The Battle of the Milvian Bridge”, “The Baptism of Constantine”. A fourth painting, “The Donation of Rome” has been proven to be a forgery.
“The Battle of Milvian Bridge” in the Hall of Constantine is Raphael’s masterpiece depicting a turning point in Christian history. Constantine’s victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312 AD. The night before, Constantine had a dream in which Christ told him he should use the sign of the cross against his enemies. Constantine was so impressed that he had the Christian symbol of The Cross marked on his soldiers’ shields, and when the Milvian Bridge battle gave him an overwhelming victory, he attributed it to the god of the Christians. The outcome of the battle was much more than a military victory, it brought an end to the persecution of Christians. In 313 AD Constantine’s Edict of Milan proclaimed that ‘no one whatsoever should be denied the opportunity to give his heart to the observance of the Christian religion’.
As of 2025, the painting has been restored to its original splendor.
The wooden ceiling that Leo X (pontiff from 1513 to 1521) had built was replaced in the time of Gregory XIII with a ceiling that was decorated with frescoes. The task was entrusted to the Sicilian painter Tommaso Laureti who began the work in 1582, completing it in 1585 under Pope Sixtus V (pontiff from 1585 to 1590). In the corners of the ceiling the undertakings of Gregory XIII are depicted while in the frieze above the four episodes of the life of Constantine, we see the heraldic elements of Sixtus V. In the central panel Laureti illustrated the Triumph of Christianity over Paganism that refers to the destruction of the pagan idols and their replacement with the image of Christ, as ordered by Constantine throughout the empire. Around the central panel the artist painted eight regions of Italy, two in each of the four pendentives, and three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa.
The pope’s study features gifts received by popes throughout the ages, including the bust which John F. Kennedy Jr. gave to Pope Paul VI in their meeting at the Vatican. The Pope’s private chapel here is modest in nature.
Here is a brief video, courtesy of Rome Reports.
Traveling to the Apostolic Palace in Rome:
The Apostolic Palace is attached to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran (the Pope’s own church),
Address: Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Tel: +39 06 6988 3860
Click here for the official website of the Apostolic Palace in Rome.