Entering the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, we are welcomed by the large marble statues of the twelve apostles. Pope Innocent X commissioned Francesco Borromini to completely rebuild the Lateran Basilica, asking that the original five-nave structure of the ancient Constantinian basilica be preserved. The skilled architect succeeded in turning limitations into opportunities, creating a space marked by light and shadow, innovating the codified language of classical architecture and restoring the pillars of the basilica to their original biblical interpretation. He created aediculae for the monumental statues of the Apostles, the Columns of the Church, on which the proclamation of the Good News rests.

Saint John the Baptist, also called the Precursor of Jesus, spent a long time in the desert. There, he learned what is essential and what is not. There, he became completely willing to fulfil the meaning of his life: to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and to show Him to the world. Calling all to conversion and baptizing them in the River Jordan, he paved the way for the coming of Christ, the Saviour. When Jesus Himself was baptized in this river, the voice of heaven confirmed that He was truly the Son of God. The Basilica of Saint John in Lateran, dedicated to the Most Holy Saviour, to Saint John the Baptist and to Saint John the Evangelist, also known as the “Mother and Head of all Churches”, represents our spiritual home. The large adjacent baptistry, with its octagonal structure, recalls that through baptism, the possibility of a new life in Christ, a life as beloved children of God the Father, opens up to us all.