In the apse mosaic of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cross represents Christ, who is flanked by the Blessed Virgin Mary and John the Baptist.

The four saints alongside Christ hold scrolls with texts attesting to His divinity. From the Cross flow streams of water, from which deer drink, an allusion to Psalm 42:1: “As the deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God.”