Founded by Pope Melchiade around the beginning of the 4th Century, San Giovanni in Laterano is the oldest church in the world. In 1650, in time for the Jubilee, the architect Borromini completely remodelled the structure but kept the 16th Century floor and ceiling. Niches of coloured marble and statues of the apostles were added. Fifteen new statues were added to the exterior in 1735 when Alessandro Galilei renewed the façade in travertine stone.
