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St.Peter'sBasilica(ItalianSanPietroinVaticano)isamajorbasilicainVaticanCity,anenclaveofRome.St.Peter'swasuntilrecentlythelargestchurcheverbuilt(itcoversanareaof23,000m²andhasacapacityofover60,000),anditremainsoneoftheholiestsitesinChristendom.AncienttraditionhasitthatSt.Peter'sBasilicawasbuiltattheplacewherePeter,theapostlewhoisconsideredthefirstpope,wascrucifiedandburied;histombisunderthemainaltar.Otherpopesarealsoburiedinandbelowthebasilica.Contrarytowhatonemightreasonablyassume,St.Peter'sisnotacathedral-thepope'scathedralisSt.JohnLateran.ThecurrentlocationofSt.Peter'sBasilicaisthesiteoftheCircusofNerointhefirstcenturyAD.AfterEmperorConstantineofficiallyrecognizedChristianityhestartedconstruction(in324)ofagreatbasilicainthisexactspot,whichhadpreviouslybeenacemeteryforpagansaswellasChristians.Inthemid-15thcenturyitwasdecidedthattheoldbasilicashouldberebuilt.PopeNicholasVaskedarchitectBernardoRossellinotostartaddingtotheoldchurch.Thiswasabandonedafterashortwhile,butinthelate15thcenturyPopeSixtusIVhadtheSistineChapelstartednearby.ConstructiononthecurrentbuildingbeganunderPopeJuliusIIin1506andwascompletedin1615underPopePaulV.DonatoBramantewastobethefirstchiefarchitect.ManyfamousartistsworkedontheFabbricadiSanPietro(asthecomplexofbuildingoperationswereofficiallycalled).Michelangelo,whoservedasmainarchitectforawhile,designedthedome,andBerninidesignedthegreatSt.Peter'sSquare.Thefollowingdescriptionisavirtualtourthatfollowsthisbasicpath:viewsfromafar;St.Peter'sSquare;exteriorofSt.Peter'sBasilica;nave;rightaisleandtransept;domeareawithbaldacchino;cathedraofSt.Peter;lefttranseptandaisle;andcrypt/grottoes.SeeourSt.Peter'sBasilicaPhotoGalleryforavisualtour.St.Peter'sSquareProvidingafittingapproachtothegreatchurchisthehuge,ellipticalSt.Peter'sSquare(PiazzaSanPietro),designedbyBerniniandbuiltbetween1656and1667.Therearetwobeautifulfountainsinthesquare,thesouth/leftonebyCarloMaderno(1613)andthenorthern/rightonebyBernini(1675).Inthecenterofthesquareisa25.5-meter-tallobelisk,whichdatesfrom13th-centuryBCEgyptandwasbroughttoRomeinthe1stcenturytostandinNero'sCircussome275yardsaway.Itwasmovedtoitspresentlocationin1585byorderofPopeSixtusV.Thetasktookfourmonthsandissaidtohavebeendoneincompletesilenceonpainofdeath.Ifyouincludethecrossontopandthebase,theobeliskreaches40m.ThesquareisoutlinedbyamonumentalcolonnadebyBernini,itsopenarmssymbolicallywelcomingtheworldintotheCatholicChurch.Betweentheobeliskandeachfountainisacircularstonethatmarksthefocalpointsofanellipse.Ifyoustandononeofthesepoints,thetworowscolumnsofthecolonnadelineupperfectlyandappeartobejustasinglerow.Ontopofthecolonnadeare140statuesofsaints,craftedbyanumberofsculptorsbetween1662and1703.TotherightofthesoutherngateofthecolonnadeisSt.Macrina,grandmotheroftheCappadocianfathers,followedbysomefoundersofreligiousorders:St.Dominic,St.Francis,St.Bernard,St.Benedict,andSt.IgnatiusofLoyola.Someoftheapostlesareatthefarendofthecolonnade,outsidethesquareanddownthestreet:lookforPaulandJohnonthesouthside(ontheleftasyouwalktothesquare).Moredetailshere.NearthestairstothebasilicaatthefrontofthesquarearecolossalstatuesofSts.PeterandPaul,thepatronsaintsofRome.ThesewereorderedbyPopePiusIXonEaster1847,whowantedtoreplacetheexistingsmallerones.ThenewstatueshadbeencommissionedbythepreviouspopeforSt.PaulOutsidetheWalls.PeterwassculptedbyGiuseppeDeFabrisin1838-40andstands5.55minheight,onapedestal4.91mhigh.Paulwassculptedin1838byAdamoTadolini,andisalso5.55minheight,onapedestal4.91mhigh.ExteriorofSt.Peter'sBasilicaThedomeofSt.Peter'swasdesignedbyMichelangelo,whobecamechiefarchitectin1546.Atthetimeofhisdeath(1564),thedomewasfinishedasfarasthedrum,thebaseonwhichdomessit.Thedomewasvaultedbetween1585and1590bythearchitectGiacomodellaPortawiththeassistanceofDomenicoFontana,whowasprobablythebestengineeroftheday.Fontanabuiltthelanternthefollowingyear,andtheballwasplacedin1593.Thegreatdoubledomeismadeofbrickandis42.3metresininteriordiameter(almostaslargeasthePantheon),risingto120metresabovethefloor.Intheearly18thcenturycracksappearedinthedome,sofourironchainswereinstalledbetweenthetwoshellstobindit.Thefourpiersofthecrossingthatsupportthedomeareeach60feet(18meters)across.Uniquely,Michelangelo'sdomeisnotahemisphere,butaparabola:ithasaverticalthrust,whichismademoreemphaticbytheboldribbingthatspringsfromthepairedCorinthiancolumns,whichappeartobepartofthedrum,butwhichstandawayfromitlikebuttresses,toabsorbtheoutwardthrustofthedome'sweight.Above,thevaulteddomerisestoFontana'stwo-stagelantern,cappedwithaspire.Thegrandfaçadeis116mwideand53mhigh.Builtfrom1608to1614,itwasdesignedbyCarloModeno.ThecentralbalconyiscalledtheLoggiaoftheBlessings,andisusedfortheannouncementofthenewpopewithHabemusPapumandhisUrbietOrbiblessing.Thereliefunderthebalcony,byBuonvicino,representsChristgivingthekeystoSt.Peter.Thefacadeistoppedby13statuesintravertine.Fromleft,thestatuesrepresent:Thaddeus,Matthew,Philip,Thomas,JamestheElder,JohntheBaptist,ChristtheRedeemer(inthecenter),Andrew,JohntheEvangelist,JamestheYounger,Bartholomew,SimonandMa