Statues of the Twelve Apostles, San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome

St John Lateran: The Twelve Apostles

12/6/2024

St Peter by Pierre-Etienne Monnot

The nave of the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano (Basilica of St John Lateran), Rome's cathedral, is a spectacular showcase of early-18th century sculpture.

The colossal statues of the twelve apostles (with St Paul replacing St Matthias) were created at the behest of Pope Clement XI (r. 1700-21) between 1704 and 1718.

The statues were carved by a host of Italian and French sculptors, each of whom was given a sketch drawn by the pope's favourite painter, Carlo Maratta (1625-1713), which they had to follow. The only exception was the French sculptor Pierre Le Gros the Younger (1666-1719), who refused to accede to the demand.

Starting at the left side of the entrance, the statues are:

St Simon the Zealot by Francesco Maratti, 1712.
St Bartholomew by Pierre Legros, 1712.
St James the Lesser by Angelo de Rossi, 1715.
St John the Evangelist by Camillo Rusconi, 1713.

St Andrew by Camillo Rusconi, 1709.
St Peter by Pierre-Étienne Monnot, 1706.

To the right of the entrance:

St Jude/Thaddeus by Lorenzo Ottoni, 1712.
St Matthew by Camillo Rusconi, 1715.
St Philip by Giuseppe Mazzuoli, 1715.
St Thomas by Pierre Legros, 1711.
St James the Greater by Camillo Rusconi, 1718.
St Paul by Pierre-Etienne Monnot, 1708.

Above the statues are a series of stucco bas-reliefs, which depict scenes from the Old Testament (on the left) and scenes from the New Testament (on the right). They were designed by Alessandro Algardi (1598-1654), and executed by members of his studio.