St Peter’s Basilica (Basilica San Pietro)

St Peter’s basilica is probably the most famous church in Rome and one of the city’s many iconic monuments. It’s also a popular pilgrimage for Christians and the largest Christian church in the world. On any given day 20,000 pilgrims and tourists may visit Vatican City to see it. It is possible to accommodate 60,000 visitors inside.

It took over 120 years to build and was completed in 1626.

History

In the 1st century AD, the grounds on which the basilica currently stands were part of the circus of Nero. The Romans organised chariot races here, and persecuted minorities by forcing them to fight wild and exotic animals for entertainment. After a devastating fire burnt much of Rome to the ground in 64 AD and part of Rome’s population held emperor Nero accountable, he quickly targeted the Christians to diffuse the blame. Many Christians met their fate at the circus, being burnt alive or crucified.

One of the Christians killed was Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples who had come to Rome to spread the word of Christ. Peter was crucified upside-down at his request, as he refused to die the same way as his master, and was buried in a cemetery nearby. His remains where placed where the main altar in St. Peter’s basilica is located today.

When Christianity was legalized in Rome in 313, emperor Constantine built a church on the site which would later be known as Old St. Peter’s and remain active on the very same site for 1200 years. Construction on the current basilica began in 1506 and was finished 120 years later.

Michelangelo’s involvement

St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the works most closely associated with the famous artist Michelangelo. Although work on the basilica was led by a series of architects, each imposing design changes, Michelangelo played an important role in the construction of the dome. Unfortunately, he died in 1564 before it was completed. Others supervised the dome’s construction until it’s completion in 1590. The rest of the basilica took another 36 years to complete, as work was finally finished in 1626.

The dome

The dome on St. Peter’s basilica can be visited and offers a spectacular panoramic view over the city of Rome. A lift will take you part of the way, but a long climb is still needed - 320 steps to be precise. The reward for such effort is an amazing view over Rome and back into the basilica itself, and well worth it.

The interior is more than 15,000 square meters and contains many spectacular sculptures and works of art. Two of the most famous are Michelangelo’s Pietà, a sculpture portraying Maria holding the body of Jesus Christ, and Bernini’s baldachin (canopy) over the papal altar.

There are 3 other areas that can be visited while at St Peter’s Basilica.

• The Treasury – containing many relics and artefacts. (€6)
• Sacred Grottos – tombs of many Popes, including John Paul II (free)
• Tomb of St Peter – excavations on the tomb area which started in the 1940’s and can only be visited as part of a tour (€10)