January 9 Feast
Founded during the fourth century, today the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome, bears a simple but solemn and harmonious façade. The work of Alessandro Galilei (1732-1736) it was commissioned by Pope Clement XII of the Corsini family of Florence. Pope Clement’s ten-year reign over the Papal States, from 1730-1740, saw several important public works built, including the Trevi Fountain, to serve the people of Rome.
The pope also engaged Galilei to design a lateral chapel immediately inside the front entrance of the Lateran basilica. He intended the magnificent chapel as a tribute to his 14 th century ancestor, the Carmelite St. Andrew Corsini, as well as a final resting place for himself.
This chapel, often considered the most perfect building of its kind, is in the form of a Greek Cross. An oil on canvas painting, entitled St. Andrew Corsini in Prayer hangs over the mail altar. It is a work of the Italian artist Guido Reni (1630-1635). A mausoleum terminates each end of the transept. On the left are the mortal remains of Pope Clement XII. On the right are those of Cardinal Neri Corsini. Today St Andrew Corsini, bishop and confessor, is remembered by many for the charity he showed others and his willingness to serve and assist.
The rail that separates the chapel from the aisle of the church is of gilt brass. The pavement of is of marble and the walls are incrusted with alabaster and jasper. They are adorned with bas reliefs. Six pillars adorn the recesses. Two statues of Innocence and Penitence stand on the pediment of the altar.
Each year, on the saint’s feast day, a Mass is celebrated in the chapel and is often televised to the rest of the country.
