The
praefectus urbanus or
praefectus urbi, in English the
urban prefect, was
prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of
Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and held high importance in
late Antiquity. The office survived the collapse of the
Western Roman Empire, and the last urban prefect of Rome, named Iohannes, is attested in 599. In the East, in Constantinople, the office survived until the 13th century.