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

by Jill Kammer

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.

The popular lore says that Saint Peter is actually buried here but that legend is not backed up by evidence. The real history of the location of St. Peter’s is that it probably sits on the original Circus of Nero from the first century.

The historic Christian Roman leader by the name of Constantine was the one who ordered that a basilica be built on this spot in the fourth century. That construction actually happened 1000 years before the construction of St. Peter’s.

Some 1200 years later in the sixteenth century, it was Pope Leo X who diverted funds from his appeal to the masses to go to holy war against the Turks. Those funds were quietly applied to the building of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

As was true about huge construction projects in ancient times, it took many generations, many Popes and many architects over the decades before the basilica was completed late in the sixteenth century.

By medieval standards, St. Peter’s is a tall church towering 445 feet from the floor of the church to the cross that is on top of that well known dome. Roman citizens are very familiar with that dome decorating the skyline of the city because it is a masterpiece of architecture in every respect. That dome was designed by the famous artist and architect from the Renaissance, Michelangelo. It was he who took the San Gallo double-shell design and perfected it to fit the needs of St. Peter’s.

In 1546 Michelangelo took over as chief architect of St. Peter’s but he was not able to finish the job before his death. One of his students - Giacomo della Porta - was selected to take his master’s vision to completion. That design is so well known and admired that it has been used in many famous structures around the world, including the design of the Capital Building in the city of Washington DC.

That dome was so well designed that two centuries passed before stress cracks were found. To correct the problem, four very large chains of iron were attached inside the dome to the pair of shells. If you were to climb the spiral stairs that are still there between the dome shells, you would still see those chains in place.

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 the basilica is large as well, standing at 148 feet high and 377 feet wide and there are many statues gracing the outside of the building as well.

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.

Look for several very old clocks, including one that actually has a bell and dates back to the last part of the thirteenth century. From that same time period, an Egyptian style obelisk stands nearby, the origin of which goes back to Nero’s Circus.

As is true all over Rome, two wonderful artistic fountains can be found in the square outside St. Peter’s. On the south side is a fountain made by the brilliant artist, Bernini who created it in 1675. Bernini also created the second fountain near the apse of the church, the Triumph of the Chair of Saint Peter which is not to be missed.

Most people who make plans to visit Rome are sure to include several hours to leisurely tour this amazing example of the finest of Renaissance architecture.

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