The Lateran Palace on Saint John's Square in Rome was rebuilt by Domenico Fontana for Pope Sixtus V. Rebuilding began in the 1580s, and a completion notice is dated August 29, 1589. The article traces the site to Constantine's gift to Pope Miltiades and says a synod met there in 313.
The article describes Fontana's style as strong and restrained and says the medieval palace had Gothic elements. It names no materials. The Leonian Triclinium is 164 feet (50 m) long, and the Aula Concilii measures 174 by 43 feet (53 by 13 m). The Lateran obelisk is 105.6 feet (32.18 m) high and weighs over 230 tons.
Five ecumenical councils met there between 1123 and 1512. Fires struck in 1307 and 1361. The Lateran Treaty was signed there on February 11, 1929. It houses the Vatican Historical Museum, Diocese of Rome offices and the Cardinal Vicar's residence. The papal apartments can be visited, usually in the morning.
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