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St. Peter's Basilica and Square

DISCOVER WITH US THE LARGEST BASILICA OF THE WORLD AND ITS TREASURES. ENTER INTO THE VATICAN MUSEUMS AND ADMIRE THE SISTINE CHAPEL.

St Peter's basilica<br />The evolution of the most important Dome of the Christianity. From the foundation, under constantine Emperor, to its modern facade, pasing through Bramante and Michelangelo: the indisputed symbol of Catholicism in the World.<br />The square is  like a symbolic embrace to Christianity, an enormous concave circle which has welcomed the faithful for centuries with the same emphasis carried out by the Popes of the Baroque.<br />

St. Peter's Basilica.

 

The Place.The largest Church in the world rises on the spot in which is supposely the tomb of the martyr Peter .
In the Roman times the Vatican was the site of the great Circus of Nero. Under Nero St. Peter’s was crucified  (64-67 A.D. approx.) and its body was buried around. Here 250 years later the Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of  a Basilica to defend and celebrate the apostle’s sepulchre.
This great work was completed in the 349 A.D.  through the centuries, however, the building fell into desrepair and during the XVI century a new Church was to be built.

 


The rebuilding and restructuring of the Basilica took many years and artists of high value contributed to make this Church as it apperas today.
The Vatican has been the residence of the Popes only since 1377, six centuries interrupted by long stays at the Quirinal palace, now seat of the Italian Republic President.
Before 1377  the pontifical court was transferred to Avignon for 75 years and during this period the Basilica fell in ruins.
Since the return of the Popes to Rome, Nicolas V and its  successors, 264 popes, all of them contributed to increase the Vatican making it the sacred site for the Chatholic Church.
It was Pope Julius II who begun the construction of the Basilica acording to the project by Bramante which was completed only 176 years later.
The work was carried out with the contribution of the most important artists of  the time such as Michelangelo, Raphael, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and Bernini.

 

The Basilica was restored and in 1929, the Vatican become an indipendent State, when the Pope and the Italian state, under fascist Era, signed the “Lateran Treaty”.

 


Today the Basilica is one of the most visited religious site of the world, a preferred destination not only for pilgrims but also for art lovers.
In the back side of the Basilica there is the entrance to the Vatican Museums one of the most important collection of masterpieces of art.

 


At the end of the museums, inside the museum itself, there is the Sistine Chapel a marvellous expression of genius and artistic value.



The Square.St Peter’s Basilica rises on the imponent St Peter’s Square dominated by the imposing dome by Michelangelo.
The world-known artist never saw the end of the project, since, when he started, he was quite old and died 18 years later. At that time only the drum has been erected, the rest of the dome, builted according to Michelangelo’s projects, was completed by Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana 25 years after Michelangelo’s death.

The Dome is 43 meters of diameter and the maximum height to the cross  surmonting it is 136 meters. Access to the dome is via the portico, at the right side of the square.
First part can be made on foot or by the elevators. Frome here is possible to access the balaustrade to enjoy a spectacular view. Passing to the interior, is possible to see the baldachine form the above. Last part of the climb includes vaults which become little by little ending to a balcony located at the lantern. From here is possible to have a breathless view of Rome from above.
The edifice has truly titanic dimensions.

 


The facade, realized by Carlo Maderno in 1614 is 144 meters wide and 45 meters high. It looks out upon the square.
The building is crowned by 13 enormous statues 6 meters high representing Jesus, John the Baptist and the eleven apostles excluding Saint Peter.

 

At the sides are placed two mosaic clocks attributed to Giuseppe Valadier and commissioned in 1777 by Pope Pius VI.


The clock on the left shows the Central European  Time and its called “Ultramontane”, the other shows the italian time and its called “Italian”.
The square is surrounded by the symbolic “embrace” of the Colonnade: Bernini’s masterpiece. The 140 statues which decorate the colonnade were deigned by Bernini as well.

The obelisk in the middle of the Square were erected by Domenico Fontana under the Pope Sixtus V, the same who commissionated the Sistine Chapel, the obelisk came from the ruins of the nearby Circus of Nero.

 

It was a very common practice,  according to the architectural taste of that time, mixing ancient element, rescued or recovered in archaeological sites or abandoned places, with marbles and “modern” structures such as fountains.

 


The two fountains in the square , one on the right by Carlo Maderno, one on the left by Carlo Fontana give freshness and harmony to the place.

 


Inside the Basilica, under the dome, the papal altar is formed by a simple marble stab taken from the Forum of Nerva and surmonted by a  splendid titanic baldachin by Bernini. The baldachin is 20 meters high with four spiral bronze columns .
In the first chapel on the right is possible to admire an incredibly realistic marbel works by Michelangelo: the Pieta, a plastic representation of the death of Christ laying on the Holy Mary’s knees.