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The application of relativistic energy density functionals to the description of nuclei leads to the problem of solving self-consistently a coupled set of equations of motion to determine the nucleon wave functions and meson fields. In this work, the Lagrange-mesh method in spherical coordinates is proposed for numerical calculations. The essential field equations are derived from the relativistic energy density functional and the basic principles of the Lagrange-mesh method are delineated for this particular application. The numerical accuracy is studied for the case of a deformed relativistic harmonic oscillator potential with axial symmetry. Then the method is applied to determine the point matter distributions and deformation parameters of self-conjugate even-even nuclei from ⁴He to ⁴⁰Ca.