Yesterday was the feast of the dedication of the St John Lateran Basilica, the Pope's Cathedral See, in Rome

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While Americans celebrated the re-dedication of the Mother Church of the United States in Baltimore last weekend the whole Church celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of the Mother Church of the whole world. The cathedral church of Rome and official seat of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) where his cathedra is located is the The Archbasilica of The Most Holy Savior, St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist at the Lateran. It's usually known by its abbreviated name of St. John Lateran. It is the only archbasilica in the world and one of only four patriarchal basilicas as well. The others are the Vatican Basilica (St. Peter's), the Liberian Basilica (St. Mary Major) and the Ostian Basilica (St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls). As such it is the "Mother Church" and Head (or most senior church building) in Roman Catholic Christendom outranking even (the more famous and larger) St. Peter's. [...snip] Shouts in the Piazza


Interestingly, for those of you familiar with the Basilica of St Mary in Minneapolis, constructed in 1907-1914, the statues of the Apostles that surround the altar are scale models of the statues on the exterior of St John Lateran. Basilica of St Mary