Confiscated by the government

Plautius was a conspirator against the infamous Emperor Nero.

The conspiracy would fail. Plautius would be executed and all of his family’s property would be confiscated by the government.

The name of Plautius is remembered by few today, but the confiscation of his family’s property would keep the family name in the memory of hundreds of millions even to this day.

Less than three centuries after Plautius’ death, his family’s estate would be donated by the government to the newly legalized Christian church and its buildings converted into the cathedral church of the city of Rome.

The cathedral would be dedicated to the memory of Saint John the Baptist, but the people of Rome still remembered the family of Plautius, the family that had made that place their home so many years before: the Laterani family.

Today the Church worldwide celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral of Rome, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the Cathedral Church of the Bishop of Rome - the Pope - and therefore the Head and Mother of all Churches.

(adapted from an earlier post)