Today marks the anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral church of Rome, on land owned by the Laterani family, by Pope St. Sylvester I (31 Dec.). 9 Nov. 324; honored as the episcopal seat of the pope as bishop of Rome; according to an inscription which Pope Clement XII (reigned 1730-1740) placed on the facade, this basilica is the "mother and head of all churches of Rome and the world" (omnium ecclesiarum Urbis et Orbis mater et caput"); residence of the popes from the 4th c. until their moving to Avignon (1309); site of five ecumenical councils; Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646; beneath its high altar rests the remains of the small wooden table on which, according to tradition, St. Peter celebrated Mass; dedicated to the Savior, later to St. John the Baptist.
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The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
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He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
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