St John Lateran and the Scala Santa: opening hours, cloister and visit

The Archbasilica of St John Lateran (San Giovanni in Laterano) is the cathedral of Rome and the seat of the Pope as bishop of the city. Founded by Constantine in the 4th century, the first Christian basilica built to gather the whole community around its bishop, it opens daily from 7am to 6:30pm and entry is free; only the cloister charges admission (€4). A few steps away, on the same square, the Scala Santa sanctuary houses the staircase that tradition identifies with the one in Pilate's palace, climbed on their knees by pilgrims. Allow one hour for the basilica and the cloister, and 30 to 45 minutes more for the Scala Santa and the Sancta Sanctorum. The Holy Door of the 2025 Jubilee was closed on 27 December 2025.

Highlights

The façade and Borromini's nave

The monumental façade, dedicated to Christ the Saviour, was built by Alessandro Galilei under Clement XII, in the first half of the 18th century, and carries fifteen colossal statues. Inside, Francesco Borromini remodelled the nave for the 1650 Jubilee at the request of Innocent X; twelve large statues of the apostles were added to its niches in the early 18th century.

The ciborium and the Pope's chair

In the centre of the transept, the papal altar encloses the wooden altar on which, according to tradition, St Peter celebrated Mass. Above it, the Gothic ciborium commissioned in 1368 by Urban V from Giovanni di Stefano holds the reliquaries of the heads of St Peter and St Paul. In the apse, the cathedra is a reminder that the Pope is bishop of Rome. The Holy Door, the last on the right under the portico, was the first in the history of the Jubilees to be opened, in 1423.

The cloister

Built from 1222, under Honorius III and in the time of St Francis of Assisi, by the canons of the Lateran, it lines a garden with twisted or straight colonnettes inlaid with Cosmatesque mosaics. The basilica's treasury museum, opened in 1984 by John Paul II, shows liturgical vestments and reliquaries separately, daily from 9am to 5:30pm.

The baptistery

Behind the basilica, on Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano, the octagonal baptistery dates back to Constantine's time and was rebuilt by Sixtus III in the 5th century. Entry is free, with no booking, daily from 9am to 7pm.

The Scala Santa and the Sancta Sanctorum

The 28 steps, which tradition says St Helena brought back from Jerusalem, may only be climbed on your knees and in silence; they have been covered with wood since 1724. Side staircases let you go up on foot. At the top, the Sancta Sanctorum, the former private chapel of the popes, keeps frescoes commissioned by Nicholas III (1277-1280), a Cosmatesque floor and an icon of Christ dated to the late 5th or early 6th century.

Opening hours and tickets

Basilica: daily from 7am to 6:30pm, free entry. Cloister: Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm, closed on Sundays and public holidays; €4, reduced €3, €6 or €5 with the audio guide. Scala Santa: free to climb, no booking. Sancta Sanctorum: €3.50, reduced €3 (ages 6-18, students, over-65s), paid on site in cash or by card, Monday to Saturday from 9am to 1:30pm and from 3pm to 5:15pm, on Sundays and religious holidays from 3pm to 5:15pm only.

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