Lateran Obelisk Monument

Address: Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome, Italy

Hours: Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano (open 24 hours)

Admission: Free (public square)

The Lateran Obelisk stands in the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome in front of the cathedral basilica. It is the tallest ancient Egyptian obelisk in Rome and one of the city’s most prominent monolithic monuments.

Visitors approach the obelisk on the square outside the Archbasilica of St John Lateran; the monument forms a formal focal point in the plaza and is visible from the basilica steps. It has an Egyptian origin and was brought to Rome in antiquity.

The obelisk was moved and re-erected in its present position during late 16th-century papal urban projects aimed at reorganising Rome’s monuments and piazzas. Its re-erection in the square made it a conspicuous element of the Lateran complex.

It sits at the eastern edge of central Rome adjacent to the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, within walking distance of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

• Setting: Located on the plaza in front of the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, making it easy to visit when touring central Rome’s papal and ecclesiastical sites.
• Historical note: Erected in its present position in the late 16th century during papal urban works, and often described as the tallest ancient obelisk in Rome.

The obelisk is in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, adjacent to the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. Metro: Line A to San Giovanni. Several bus lines also serve the square. The area is a short walk from the Colosseum and Roman Forum.

• Visit in the early morning or late afternoon for the best light on the obelisk and fewer tourists.
• Combine with a visit to the Basilica of St. John Lateran and the Scala Sancta nearby.
• Look for the Latin inscriptions on the base and the elaborate papal reliefs installed when it was re-erected by Domenico Fontana.