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.
Hundreds of years later construction started on St. Peter's Basilica using funds diverted from the holy war with the Turks by Pope Leo X.
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.
St. Peter's is a tall building even by sixteenth century standards. From the floor to the very tip of the cross on that famous dome above, the basilica towers 445 feet in the air. That dome is a revered part of the Roman skyline and it is an amazing architectural design all by itself. None other than Michelangelo himself designed the great dome and that famous Renaissance artist employed a double-shell design technique that was created by San Gallo.
Even though Michelangelo was made the architect in charge of St. Peter's in 1546, the completion of the masterpiece came long after his death. With the passing of the great master, one of his students, Giacomo della Porta went on to complete the work in 1590. The design plans of the brilliant architects of St. Peter's are often utilized in other great buildings including the Capital Building in 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.
But the dome is not the only thing that makes St. Peter's Basilica a work of art. The church itself covers six acres of land and it is so large that 60,000 believers can crowd into it for worship. That capacity has been reached a number of times when the different Popes held mass or other ceremonies in the basilica.
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.
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.
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.
If you look, you can find several very old clocks including one with a bell that goes back all the way to the thirteenth century. You also won't have to look too hard to find the large Egyptian obelisk that adorns the grounds that was brought here from where it originally stood outside of Nero's Circus in the 13th century.
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.
A trip to Rome would almost be incomplete without including at least a couple of hours to wander at your leisure taking in the majesty of this amazing display of outstanding architecture from the Renaissance period of history.
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