St.

Peter's Basilica

 The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro

in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church
 built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal enclave which is within
the city of Rome.
 Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and 
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture[2]
 and the largest church in the world.[3] While it is neither the mother church of the 
Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome (these equivalent titles being
held by the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome), St. Peter's is regarded as one of
the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the 
Christian world"[4] and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom"
 Catholic tradition holds that the basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter, chief among Jesus
's apostles and also the first Bishop of Rome (Pope). Saint Peter's tomb is supposedly
directly below the high altar of the basilica. For this reason, many popes have been interred
at St. Peter's since the Early Christian period. A church has stood on this site since the time
of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Old St. Peter's Basilica dates from the 4th
century AD. Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and was
completed on 18 November 1626.[6]
 St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The pope
presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year both within the basilica or the
adjoining St. Peter's Square; these liturgies draw audiences numbering from 15,000 to over
80,000 people.[7] St. Peter's has many historical associations, with the 
Early Christian Church, the Papacy, the Protestant Reformation and Catholic 
Counter-reformation and numerous artists, especially Michelangelo. As a work of
architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. [8] St. Peter's is one of the four
churches in the world that hold the rank of major basilica, all four of which are in Rome.
Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a
bishop; the cathedra of the pope as Bishop of Rome is at Saint John Lateran.[9]
 St. Peter's is a church built in the Renaissance style located in the Vatican City west of the
River Tiber and near the Janiculum Hill and Hadrian's Mausoleum. Its central dome
 dominates the skyline of Rome. The basilica is approached via St. Peter's Square, a
forecourt in two sections, both surrounded by tall colonnades. The first space is oval and
the second trapezoidal. The façade of the basilica, with a giant order of columns, stretches
across the end of the square and is approached by steps on which stand two 5.55 metres
(18.2 ft) statues of the 1st-century apostles to Rome, Saints Peter and Paul.[10][11]
 The basilica is cruciform in shape, with an elongated nave in the Latin cross form but the
early designs were for a centrally planned structure and this is still in evidence in the
architecture. The central space is dominated both externally and internally by one of the
largest domes in the world. The entrance is through a narthex, or entrance hall, which
stretches across the building. One of the decorated bronze doors leading from the narthex
is the Holy Door, only opened during jubilees.[10]
 The interior dimensions are vast when compared to other churches. [6] One author wrote:
"Only gradually does it dawn upon us – as we watch people draw near to this or that
monument, strangely they appear to shrink; they are, of course, dwarfed by the scale of
everything in the building. This in its turn overwhelms us."[12]
 The nave which leads to the central dome is in three bays, with piers supporting a barrel-vault,
the highest of any church. The nave is framed by wide aisles which have a number of chapels off
them. There are also chapels surrounding the dome. Moving around the basilica in a clockwise
direction they are: The Baptistery, the Chapel of the Presentation of the Virgin, the larger Choir
Chapel, the altar of the Transfiguration, the Clementine Chapel with the altar of Saint Gregory,
the Sacristy Entrance, the Altar of the Lie, the left transept with altars to the Crucifixion of Saint
Peter, Saint Joseph and Saint Thomas, the altar of the Sacred Heart, the Chapel of the Madonna
of Column, the altar of Saint Peter and the Paralytic, the apse with the Chair of Saint Peter, the
altar of Saint Peter raising Tabitha, the altar of St. Petronilla, the altar of the Archangel Michael,
the altar of the Navicella, the right transept with altars of Saint Erasmus, Saints Processo and
Martiniano, and Saint Wenceslas, the altar of St. Jerome, the altar of Saint Basil, the Gregorian
Chapel with the altar of the Madonna of Succour, the larger Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, the
Chapel of Saint Sebastian and the Chapel of the Pietà.[10] The Monuments, in a clockwise
direction, are to: Maria Clementina Sobieski,
 The Stuarts, Benedict XV, John XXIII, St. Pius X, Innocent VIII, Leo XI, Innocent XI,
Pius VII, Pius VIII, Alexander VII, Alexander VIII, Paul III, Urban VIII, Clement X,
Clement XIII, Benedict XIV, St Peter (Bronze Statue), Gregory XVI, Gregory XIV,
Gregory XIII, Matilda of Canossa, Innocent XII, Pius XII, Pius XI, Christina of Sweden,
Leo XII. At the heart of the basilica, beneath the high altar, is the Confessio or Chapel of
the Confession, in reference to the confession of faith by St. Peter, which led to his
martyrdom. Two curving marble staircases lead to this underground chapel at the level of
the Constantinian church and immediately above the purported burial place of Saint Peter.
 The entire interior of St. Peter's is lavishly decorated with marble, reliefs, architectural
sculpture and gilding. The basilica contains a large number of tombs of popes and other
notable people, many of which are considered outstanding artworks. There are also a
number of sculptures in niches and chapels, including Michelangelo's Pietà. The central
feature is a baldachin, or canopy over the Papal Altar, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
The apse culminates in a sculptural ensemble, also by Bernini, and containing the
symbolic Chair of Saint Peter.
 One observer wrote: "St Peter's Basilica is the reason why Rome is still the center of the
civilized world. For religious, historical, and architectural reasons it by itself justifies a
journey to Rome, and its interior offers a palimpsest of artistic styles at their best ..."[13]
 St. Peter's Basilica is one of the papal basilicas (previously styled "patriarchal basilicas")[15]
 and one of the four Major Basilicas of Rome, the other Major Basilicas (all of which are
also Papal Basilicas) being the Basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and 
St. Paul outside the Walls. The rank of major basilica confers on St. Peter's Basilica
precedence before all minor basilicas worldwide. However, unlike all the other Papal
Major Basilicas, it is wholly within the territory, and thus the sovereign jurisdiction, of the 
Vatican City State, and not that of Italy.[16] This is in contrast to the other three Papal Major
Basilicas, which are within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State.
(Lateran Treaty of 1929, Article 15 (Ibidem)) However, the Holy See fully owns these
three basilicas, and Italy is legally obligated to recognize its full ownership thereof
(Lateran Treaty of 1929, Article 13 (Ibidem)) and to concede to all of them "the immunity
granted by International Law to the headquarters of the diplomatic agents of foreign
States" (Lateran Treaty of 1929, Article 15 (Ibidem)).
history

 After the crucifixion of Jesus, it is recorded in the Biblical book of the Acts of the Apostles
 that one of his twelve disciples, Simon known as Saint Peter, a fisherman from Galilee,
took a leadership position among Jesus' followers and was of great importance in the
founding of the Christian Church. The name Peter is "Petrus" in Latin and "Petros" in
Greek, deriving from "petra" which means "stone" or "rock" in Greek, and is the literal
translation of the Aramaic "Kepa", the name given to Simon by Jesus. (John 1:42, and see 
Matthew 16:18)
 Catholic tradition holds that Peter, after a ministry of thirty-four years, travelled to Rome and met his 
martyrdom there along with Paul on 13 October 64 AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. His
execution was one of the many martyrdoms of Christians following the Great Fire of Rome. According to 
Origen, Peter was crucified head downwards, by his own request because he considered himself unworthy to
die in the same manner as Jesus.[24] The crucifixion took place near an ancient Egyptian obelisk in the 
Circus of Nero.[25] The obelisk now stands in St. Peter's Square and is revered as a "witness" to Peter's death.
It is one of several ancient Obelisks of Rome.[26]
 According to tradition, Peter's remains were buried just outside the Circus, on the Mons Vaticanus across the 
Via Cornelia from the Circus, less than 150 metres (490 ft) from his place of death. The Via Cornelia was a
road which ran east-to-west along the north wall of the Circus on land now covered by the southern portions
of the Basilica and St. Peter's Square. A shrine was built on this site some years later. Almost three hundred
years later, Old St. Peter's Basilica was constructed over this site.[25]
 The area now covered by the Vatican City had been a cemetery for some years before the Circus of Nero was
built. It was a burial ground for the numerous executions in the Circus and contained many Christian burials,
because for many years after the burial of Saint Peter many Christians chose to be buried near Peter.