St. Peter's Basilica - A Vatican City Must-See When In Rome

by: JillKammer
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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.

About 1000 years before St. Peter's was built, the site was dedicated for a basilica by none other than the Christian Roman Emperor Constantine.

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.

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 a durable design and it was 200 years later that the first cracks showed up in the surface. To contain these cracks from doing any more damage, four huge chains of iron were attached to the inside of the shell. If you were to climb the winding stairs between the dome shells, you would still see those chains today.

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.

Step outside the huge building and you will find the large faade which stands some 377 feet wide and over 148 feet tall. In addition, there are a number of fine sculpture art pieces that decorate the outside of St. Peter's.

It is said that over 100 tombs of legendary figures from history are buried inside the halls of St. Peter's Basilica. One notable example is Sweden's Queen Christina, who in 1654 gave up her royal post so she could have the freedom to become a Catholic.

There is no doubt that the most revered and valuable art work in the basilica is Michelangelo's Pieta. You will find it behind protective glass after a lunatic attacked it with an ax in 1972.

From the exterior of the basilica, there are a number of worthwhile historical things 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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