St. Peter’s Basilica

The Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly called St. Peter’s Basilica, it’s located in Vatican City in Rome, Italy. It is the most prominent building inside the Vatican City.

The history of the original St. Peter's goes back to AD 349, when the emperor Constantine completed a basilica over the site of the tomb of St. Peter, the Church's first pope. The original church stood for more than 1,000 years, undergoing a number of restorations and alterations, until it was in danger of collapse toward the middle of the 15th century. In 1452 a reconstruction job began but was quickly abandoned for lack of money. In 1503 Pope Julius II instructed the architect Bramante to raze all the existing buildings and to build a new basilica, one that would surpass even Constantine's for grandeur. It wasn't until 1626 that the basilica was completed and consecrated.

The largest church in the world, built over the tomb of St. Peter, is also the most imposing and breathtaking architectural achievement of the Renaissance (although much of the lavish interior dates to the Baroque). The physical statistics are impressive: it covers 18,000 square yards, runs 212 yards in length, and carries a dome that rises 435 feet and measures 138 feet across its base. Directly to the east of the church is St Peter's Square (Piazza di San Pietro), built by Gianlorenzo Bernini between 1656 and 1667. An elliptical colonnade with two pairs of Doric columns, which form its breadth, each bearing Ionic entablatures, surrounds it. The colonnade wraps around the square, embracing the faithful in "the motherly arms of the church". This is an excellent example of Baroque architecture, where creativity is coupled with flexible guidelines. In the center of the colonnade is a 25.5 metre (83.6 ft) tall obelisk. Domenico Fontana finished moving the obelisk to its present location on September 28, 1586 by order of Pope Sixtus V. The obelisk dates back to the 13th century BC in Egypt, and was moved to Rome in AD 37 to stand in the Circus of Nero some 250 metres (820 ft) away. Including the cross on top and its base, the obelisk reaches 40 m. (131 ft). The Vatican obelisk is notable for being the second largest standing obelisk and the only one that remained standing since it was erected during the Roman Empire. An original bronze globe on top of the structure was removed when the obelisk was re-erected in St Peter's Square by Domenico Fontana. There are also two fountains in the square, the north one by Maderno (1613) and the southern one by Bernini (1675). The square is reached mainly through the Via della Conciliazione built by Mussolini after the conclusion of the Lateran Treaties.

Walking along the right aisle of the basilica, there are several noteworthy monuments and memorials. The first is Michelangelo's Pietà, located immediately to the right of the entrance. After an incident in 1972 when an individual damaged it with an axe, the sculpture was placed behind protective glass. Up the aisle is the monument of Queen Christina of Sweden, who abdicated in 1654 in order to convert to Catholicism. Further up are the monuments of popes Pius XI and Pius XII, as well as the altar of St Sebastian. Even further up is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, which is open during religious services only. Inside it is a tabernacle on the altar resembling Bramante's Tempietto at San Pietro in Montorio. Bernini sculpted this gilded bronze tabernacle in 1674. The two kneeling angels were added later. Further still are the monuments of popes Gregory XIII (completed in 1723 by Rusconi) and Gregory XIV.

St. Peter’s Basilica is a fascinating and wonderful place to visit full of history and art. There’s so much thing to see, that I think you’ll need a couple of weeks to experience it all… Moreover, it is a place you will never forget a place.