San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum
The Papal chapel of St Lawrence at the Lateran, the Holiest of Holies
Non est in toto sanctior orbe locus
There is no holier place in the world
Rome is unrelentingly astonishing, and it never ceases to amaze that places which would anywhere else be the single most famous thing to see are often deserted. For example, with the exception of groups of pilgrims around high days and holidays, you can usually have the complex of Rome’s cathedral, St John in Lateran, to yourself: the Mother Church of all of the Catholic World and the seat of the Bishop of Rome is, curiously, spectacularly under-visited.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Understanding Rome's Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.