Lorenzo Valla, the Lateran canon who proved the Donation of Constantine to be false

Everyone has heard in school about the so-called Donation of Constantine, often presented as the archetype of a forged document intended to alter history. However, not everyone knows that the apocryphal nature of this imperial edict was exposed by Lorenzo Valla (1407–1457), a humanist and canon of the Lateran Basilica. Listen to Don Andrea Lonardo, Director of the Catechetical Office and the Catechumenate Service of the Diocese of Rome.

Basilica of St John Lateran

Ep. 20

25 July 2025