Sancta Sanctorum (Lateran, Rome)
| Sancta Sanctorum | |
|---|---|
Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum | |
Sancta Sanctorum, Lateran Palace with the rector of the Scala Santa | |
Sancta Sanctorum | |
| 41°53′14″N 12°30′25″E / 41.88719°N 12.50703°E | |
| Location | Lateran Palace, Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Chapel (former private papal oratory) |
| Dedication | Saint Lawrence |
| Relics held | Cypress-wood reliquary with relics of 13 saints; acheiropoieta icon of Christ Pantocrator (“Uronica”) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Gothic interior with Cosmatesque decoration |
| Completed | 8th century (documented under Pope Stephen III, 768–772); rebuilt/restored 1276–1280 (Pope Nicholas III) |
| Specifications | |
| Width | 2.73 × 5.85 m (apse) |
| Nave height | 7 m |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Rome |
The Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum (English: Church of St. Lawrence in the Palace of the Holy of Holies), known simply as the Sancta Sanctorum, is a Catholic chapel in Rome featuring the Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs) of the Lateran Palace. It was the original private chapel of the papacy before it moved to Avignon, and later to the Apostolic Palace. The chapel is the only building from the old Lateran Palace that was not destroyed during its reconstruction.