Definition

Noun: 1. A specific location in Rome: "Lateran" refers to a historic area in Rome, Italy, which contains two major buildings: the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Pope) and the Lateran Palace (a former papal residence).

Usage

• The Lateran is one of the most important religious sites in Catholicism.
• Several significant historical treaties, known as the Lateran Treaties, were signed at the Lateran Palace.
• As the Pope's cathedral, Saint John Lateran holds the title of "Archbasilica" and "Mother and Head of all churches in Rome and the world."

Advanced Usage

• Lateran Treaty: Refers specifically to the 1929 agreement between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy that established Vatican City as an independent state. The treaty was signed in the Lateran Palace.
• Lateran Councils: Refers to a series of five important ecumenical councils of the Catholic Church held in the Lateran Palace between the 12th and 16th centuries.

Variants and Related Words

• Lateran Palace (noun phrase): The historic palace adjacent to the basilica, which served as the principal residence of the popes for about a thousand years before the move to Avignon and later the Vatican.
• Saint John Lateran (noun phrase): The full name of the Archbasilica located at the Lateran site. It is formally known as the "Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran."

Synonyms

• Site: location, area, place.
• Complex: precinct, site (when referring to the group of buildings).

Notes on Meaning

The word "Lateran" is a proper noun and is almost exclusively used as a specific historical and geographical reference to this site in Rome and the significant events (treaties, councils) associated with it. It is not used in a general or figurative sense.

Noun

1. the site in Rome containing the church of Rome and the Lateran Palace