Il complesso del Laterano nel Medioevo

Abstract

The structural and symbolic decline of the Lateran, which certainly occurred from the late Middle Ages onward, is not accurately
documented by literary and cartographic sources. In the former, the focus is primarily on the importance of relics, while
in the latter, the main objective is to highlight the area’s topographical and archaeological features. Iconographic sources, on the
other hand, emphasize the mythical image of the site where relics from Jerusalem are housed, highlighting the ongoing confrontation
between the empire and the papacy. From the analysis of these iconographic sources, combined with the evidence found
in Marteen van Heemskerck’s sketchbook concerning the entrance portico of the palace, the Loggia of Benedictions, and the
equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, the medieval Lateran emerges as a complex of buildings primarily located along the northern
side of the Constantinian basilica in an area predominantly suburban in character, still heavily marked by the presence of
imperial ruins. The aim of this contribution is to offer as precise a reconstruction as possible of the Lateran complex and its
constituent buildings in their material and formal state during the medieval period. This will be achieved through a careful
study of indirect, graphic, and iconographic sources, as well as the scant literary sources, whose scarcity itself reflects the decline
and state of neglect of the Lateran during this time.

Keywords : Lateran, iconographic sources, relics, architecture, medieval age.