Lateran Palace

The Apostolic Palace of the Lateran (Latin: Palatium Apostolicum Lateranense), informally the Lateran Palace (Latin: Palatium Lateranense; Italian: Palazzo del Laterano), is an ancient palace of the Roman Empire and later the main papal residence in Rome. Located on Saint John's Square in Lateran on the Caelian Hill, the palace is adjacent to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral church of Rome. The wealthy Lateran (Laterani) family held the palace estate during the Roman Empire, and the estate eventually came into the hands of the Emperor Constantine the Great who gifted it to Pope Miltiades who was residing at the Basilica of Santa Pudenziana.

From the fourth century, the palace was the principal residence of the popes and continued so for about a thousand years until the Apostolic Residence ultimately moved to the nearby Vatican. The palace is now used by the Vatican Historical Museum, which illustrates the history of the Papal States. The palace also houses the offices of the Diocese of Rome, as well as the residential apartments of the Cardinal Vicar, the pope's delegate for the daily administration of the diocese.

Until 1970, the palace was also home to the important...