Visiting one of the four major basilicas in Rome at night: the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Majestic Rome really requires a lifetime of energy to appreciate. Even if you have been there many times, there will always be new discoveries. It is truly a place of architectural wonders that can make one feel happy to the point of aesthetic exhaustion. In the evening, I visited the Basilica of St. John Lateran, one of the four major basilicas of the Catholic Church in Rome. The term "major basilica" refers to the fact that it was once the residence of the Pope in Rome. It is the first Christian church in Rome and the world, predating the Vatican by 13 years. Until the 14th century, it was the administrative and residential center of the Pope. The hall is decorated with gold and marble and was once known as the Golden Palace. Church books record that Emperor Constantine donated a large number of treasures to decorate the hall, and it is said that the Ark of the Covenant, stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, golden candlesticks, as well as the veil and clothing of the high priest Aaron are all kept in the hall. In the long river of history, the church has been destroyed and renovated several times. The latest reconstruction was carried out by another master, Borromini, who competed with the Baroque giant Bernini, to rebuild the old nave, the papal and cardinal tombs. The most worth seeing is the transept of the church, with the Gothic-style baldacchino at its center, which was gifted by Pope Callixtus V. (CharlesV) funded the construction during the tenure of the French Pope Urban V (William de Grimoard). The builder of the canopy was Giovanni di Stefano. Inside the metal grille above the canopy, there is a 19th-century holy reliquary, which replaced the 14th-century one, containing the holy relics of the skulls of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.