On December 29, 2024, Cardinal Baldo Reina, the vicar of Rome, opened the Holy Door of the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, on behalf of Pope Francis. Originally, it was the first and only Holy Door in Rome.
La Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
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The Holy Door at the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano was originally the first and only Holy Door, as the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. Later, three additional Holy Doors were opened in the papal basilicas of St. Peter, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and Santa Maria Maggiore, to facilitate the visit and passage of pilgrims. Cardinal Baldo Reina, the vicar of Rome, opened it on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at 10 am, on behalf of Pope Francis.
The Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist, commonly known as San Giovanni in Laterano, is located near the Caelian Hill. It is referred to as the “Mother and Head of all Churches of the City and the World,” as the cathedral of Rome and the seat of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome. The Holy Door is on the right side of the basilica under the portico. Sculptor Floriano Bodini created it in bronze with a central slab depicting the dead Christ on the cross, the Madonna and Child, and the coat of arms of Pope John Paul II. It was placed where it is today during the Jubilee of 2000.
Before the construction of the basilica, the area belonged to the ancient Laterani family. Tacitus in the Annals in 65 AD narrates a confiscation by Nero. The lands later passed to the wife of Flavius Valerius Constantine. Emperor Constantine, with the Edict of Milan in 313, granted freedom of worship to Christians and donated the Lateran lands to the then Pope Miltiades to build a place of worship. The basilica was consecrated in 324 by Pope Sylvester I. From the 4th century to the 14th, the Lateran was the main seat of the papacy. In 1650, Pope Innocent X commissioned its restoration to Francesco Borromini.
Inauguration of the new Piazza San Giovanni for the Jubilee 2025: lawn, illuminated fountains, and water features
What is a Holy Door
Symbolically, for the Catholic faithful, the Holy Door represents following Jesus Christ and reconciling with Him through the Jubilee pilgrimage. In particular, the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica with Pope Francis marked the beginning of the 2025 Jubilee. By passing through a Holy Door, the pilgrim is reminded of the text of chapter 10 of the Gospel of John: “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
The papal basilicas of Rome with Holy Doors
In addition to the Holy Door of San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome, there are others located within the papal basilicas of St. Peter’s, the first opened by Pope Francis on December 24 and inaugurating the Jubilee 2025; St. Paul Outside the Walls, where the Holy Door will be opened on January 5; and Santa Maria Maggiore, where the Holy Door will be opened on January 1, on the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
