Travel and Vacations

When In Rome, Visit St. Peter’s Basilica – A Vatican City Delight

Story Published on July 11, 2008 ⋅  Email this Story ⋅  Print this Story ⋅ Post a comment ⋅

St. Peter’s Basilica, otherwise known as Basilica di San Pietro has always been a tremendously popular attraction of tourists to Rome. Visitors to the site can happily pass a day taking in all there is to see there. Of the many popular locations in Vatican City, St. Peter’s ranks high in popularity and number of visits by tourists.

While the lore of the basilica holds that St. Peter’s is the literal burial place for Saint Peter himself, there really is no scientific proof to back that claim up. Truthfully, the actual spot on which St. Peter’s sits is the same location of the original Circus of Nero in the first century.

The site was selected for a basilica when Constantine, the Christian Emperor of Rome ordered one built there in the fourth century. That first building was constructed a thousand years before St. Peter’s was located there.

But it was in the 16th century that Pope Leo X got the vision for what St. Peter’s could be. He also knew how to divert funding to the effort by calling on zealous Christians to fund the crusades against the Turks and then quietly moved those funds to the building of this beautiful structure.

But like most large scale construction efforts during this phase in history, it took decades to finish the church in the late 16th century and the project had many architects and was overseen by several Popes before it was done.

Compared to other Roman buildings of that time, St. Peter’s is very tall – standing an impressive 445 feet from the floor of the basilica to the beautiful cross at the top of that world famous dome. That dome is a beloved part of the skyline of Rome and it is a wonder of architecture in every respect. It was designed by probably the most well known Renaissance artist who served as chief architect on the project, Michelangelo. He developed and used a double shell design that he borrowed from a fellow architect of the time, San Gallo.

While Michelangelo become the lead designer of the building in 1546, he never saw it completed before his death. It was another architect, Giacomo della Porta who saw the project through to completion in 1590. That design is so well known and admired by architects that has been copied frequently in famous buildings around the world including the United States Capital Building in Washington.

That dome was so well constructed that two centuries passed before any stress cracks were found. When signs of aging did occur, four huge chains of iron were made and affixed to the inside of the pair of shells. You can see those chains still if you were to climb the spiral stairs that are there between the two shells of the dome of St. Peter’s.

As wonderful as it is to admire the magnificent dome at St. Peter’s, there is so much more to see here. The building itself is so large it covers close to six acres and at full capacity it can seat 60,000 people. And over the centuries, many Popes have packed the basilica out for special ceremonies or when they held mass at this revered site.

The outer facade of St. Peter’s that welcome visitors to the hall is quite large, measuring 377 feet wide and over 148 feet tall.

The basilica also hosts over 100 tombs of well known figures from history. You can feel history around you including the tomb of Queen Christina of Sweden. History tells us that she gave up her royal crown in 1654 so she could come to Rome and become a convert to Catholicism.

But there is no doubt that the most well known art work in St. Peter’s is the awe inspiring “Pieta” by Michelangelo. But sadly it must be displayed behind protective glass because a lunatic tried to destroy it with an axe in 1972.

When touring the grounds outside of St. Peter’s in addition to the dome, there are a number of notable and historical art works to look for.

For example, be on the look out for a number of ancient clocks including one with a bell that dates back to the late 13th century. But an artwork that is hard to miss is a huge Egyptian obelisk on display outside St. Peter’s that dates back to Nero’s Circus where it stood not far away during the same time period.

Look for the two fountains in the square of the basilica. The southern fountain was designed by the famous artist Bernini in 1675. Bernini made several contributions including the phenomenal Triumph of the Chair of Saint Peter which stands in the apse section of the basilica.

Your visit to Rome will take on new meaning if you allow at least a couple of hours to take your time and admire this awe inspiring example of Renaissance architecture in the Eternal City.

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