An inscription on the façade of St. John in Lateran summarizes its status:
Sacros(ancta) Lateran(ensis) Eccles(ia), Omnium Urbis et Orbis, Ecclesiarum Mater et Caput (Most Holy Lateran Church, the mother and head of all the churches in the city and the world).
+© Marie-Lan Nguyen|Wikipedia| CC-BY 2.5