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Touring
Saint Peter's
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364 feet wide | 730 feet long |
438 feet high | covers just under 5 acres |
44 altars | 27 chapels |
11 domes | 800 chandeliers |
778 columns | 395 statues |
290 windows | 135 mosaics |
Room, literally, for a football game (or two) in the nave. |
ut the
enormity is dwarfed ... by the beauty, elegance and proportion. The square provides an
exquisite setting. The Bernini colonnade is exceptionally graceful, and geometrically
precise.
If you stand in the Piazza on one of the marked spots near the fountains ("Centro del Colonnato") and observe the nearby colonnade, you'll see only the front column of the four ranks of columns. (Watch out for the fountains on a windy day.) |
The exterior, especially the setting of the dome, can be seen in the way Michaelangelo intended only by viewing it from further back on via della Conciliazione. Carlo Maderno extended the form from a Greek cross to a Roman cross, thus spoiling the view of the magnificent dome.
Cassette or CD tours are usually available in the portico of the church. At certain times free guided tours are offered; check with the Vatican Tourist Office. (The Office relocates from time to time ... at last sighting it was in a square to the left (south) of St. Peter's Square. Of late they've run free tours of the Basilica every afternoon.)
ichaelangelo's Pieta is the
work of art (in the first chapel on the right). Michaelangelo created the work when only
20 years old. A stunning work of art for anyone, let alone a youth.
After the Pieta, the Baldichino over the main altar is, for us, the next main attraction. Also see the window of the Holy Ghost at the rear, and next to it, the symbolic chair of the Bishop of Rome. Tradition holds that it contains Peter's original chair.
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The main altar, the Confessio, is placed, according to tradition, directly over the actual tomb of Peter. Pius XII instituted serious excavations in the 1940s. The evidence is strong that the altar may, indeed, be over the tomb of Peter. On the right side of the nave, just before the crossing, northeast of the main altar, you'll find an ancient bronze statue of Peter. Its foot is worn to a nub by being touched, and indeed kissed, by so many over so many years. You'll also find, in the nave toward the entrance, markers in the center of the aisle showing the lengths of other large churches.
Short history and photos of St. Peter's Castel St. Angelo
You'll discover a building with an interesting history. Its owners have used and abused it as a tomb, refuse heap, quarry, fortress, hideout, and palace. Built as the tomb of the emperor Hadrian and relatives and descendants, it became a fortress refuge of the Popes. (A tunnel atop a wall connects it with the Vatican.) If the weather is fine, you may wish to enjoy a Cappuccino and the view on the terrace. Some find this the most memorable of Rome's truly ancient monuments. In any event we strongly recommend a visit. Visiting Hours of Rome's Major Sights Return to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums Ranking
the Top Attractions | Suggested
Itineraries St.
Peter's and Castel San Angelo | Vatican Museums and
Sistine Chapel Complete Index of Articles on Rome/Italy Our Favorites Trip Tips and Tools Copyright © 1996-2001 E.J.
Gehrlein Traveling
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