TV ES PETRVS ET SVPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECCLESIAM MEAM. TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI CAELORVM
you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. ... I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven... Matthew 16:18-19
An inscription found along the inside base of the dome.
¨ Located 41°54′8″N 12″E it is the most prominent building inside the Vatican City / and one of the holiest sites of Christendom.
¨ The main nave is 46 m (138ft) in height and the domes height is 119m (357ft).
¨ The second largest church building in Christianity, it covers an area 5.7 acres and has a capacity of over 60,000 people.
¨ Known as the burial site of Peter, who was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, and in the Roman Catholic tradition, also the first Bishop of Antioch.
¨ The Basilica is more than just the tomb of Peter. Many great popes have been buried in Grotto Graveyard underneath the Basilica including: John Paul II (1978-2005),John Paul I (1978-33 days),Paul VI (1963-78),Paul XII (1939-58),Pius XI (1922-39),and Bendict XV (1914-22)
¨ Construction on the current building began under Pope Julius II in 1506 and was completed in 1615 under Pope Paul V.
¨ Designed by the most famous architects and geniuses of the Renaissance and Baroque time.
¨ Donato Bramante was first chief architect. Michelangelo, who served as main architect for a while, designed the dome.
¨ The interior of St. Peter's is filled with many masterpieces of Renaissance and Baroque art, among the most famous of which are Michelangelo's Pietà, the Baldachin by Bernini over the main altar, the statue of St. Longinus in the crossing, and the tomb of Urban VIII.
“The first burst of the interior, in all its expansive majesty and glory: and, most of all, the looking up into the Dome; is sensation never to be forgotten.” Charles Dickens, 1846
Plan of St Peter’s Basilica
A Statue of Charlemagne by A. Comacchini (1725) | 35 Monument to Urban VIII |
B Statue of Constantine by Bernini (1670) | 36 Chair of St. Peter by Bernini |
37 Monument to Paul III (Della Porta) | |
1 Facade by Maderno | 38 Monument to Alexander VIII |
2 Mosaic "of the Navicella" by Giotto | 39 Altar of the paralytic |
3 Portico by Maderno | 40 St. Leo's Altar |
4 Bronze doors by Filarete with bas-relief above | 41 Altar dedicated to Our Lady of the Column |
by Bernini | 42 Monument to Alexander VII (Bernini) |
5 Holy Door | 43 Altar dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul |
6 Spiral column from the Temple of Jerusalem (see note at bottom) | 44 St. Thomas' Altar |
7 Michelangelo's Pieta (1500) | 45 St. Joseph's Altar |
8 Old sarcophagus | 46 St. Martial's Altar |
9 Chapel of the Crucifix | 47 Monument to Pius V (Tenerani) and entrance to |
10 Statue of Leo XII | the Vestry and the Treasury |
11 Monument to Queen Christina of Sweden | 48 Altar dedicated to SS. Peter and Andrew |
12 Chapel of St. Sebastian and the monuments | 49 St. Gregory's Altar (tomb underneath) |
to Pius XI and Pius XII | 50 Monument to Pius VII (Thorwaldsen) |
13 Monument to Innocent XII | 51 Altar of the Transfiguration |
14 Tomb of Countess Matilde | 52 Monument to Leo XI |
15 Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament | 53 Tomb of B. Innocent XI |
16 Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament Altar | 54 Chapel of the Choir |
17 Doorway leading to the Scala Regia | 55 Choir stalls |
18 Doorway leading to the organs | 56 Monument to St. Pius X |
19 Monument to Gregory XIII | 57 Monument to Innocent VIII |
20 Tomb of Gregory XIV | 58 Chapel of the Presentation and Urn of Pius X |
21 St. Jerome's Altar | and the monuments to Benedict XV (Canonica) |
22 Monument to Gregory XVI | and to John XXIII (Greco) |
23 Altar dedicated to Our Lady of Succour | 59 Monument to Maria Clementina Sobieski and |
24 St. Basil's Altar | entrance to the Dome |
25 Monument to Benedict XIV | 60 Tomb of the Stuarts |
26 St. Wenceslas' Altar | 61 Baptismal Font |
27 Altar dedicated to SS. Processus and Martinian | 62 Holy water stoup |
28 St. Erasmus' Altar | 63 Statue of St. Peter |
29 Altar of the Navicella | 64 Statue of St. Veronica (Mochi) |
30 Monument to Clement XIII (Canova c 1790) | 65 Statue of St. Helena (Bolgi) |
31 St. Michael's Altar | 66 Statue of St. Longinus (Bernini) |
32 St. Petronilla's Altar | 67 Status of St. Andrew (Duquesnoy); entrance to Vatican Grottoes |
33 St. Peter's Altar | 68 The Confession/St. Peter's Tomb (Maderno) |
34 Monument to Clement X | 69 Baldacchino by Bernini |
For Futher Reading:
Papafava, Francesco. The
“Peter in
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Volume=20&Issue=1&ArticleID=5&UserID=2322&.
Saint Peter's Basilica." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20 Dec. 2007
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