St. Peter’s Basilica

St. Peter’s Basilica is a symbol of the Vatican. It is a sacred Renaissance-Baroque building in the Vatican, one of the largest, most famous and most visited sanctuaries in the world. Here, the most important artists of all time have kept their talent and there are represented gems that represent not only Christianity.

According to historians, there was a church in the 4th century, which was built by the emperor Constantine. The basilica as we know it today was completed in 1626 and its construction lasted 120 years. From a Christian point of view, this is the place where the apostle Peter was probably buried, to whom Christ entrusted the task of leading the church and died during the reign of Emperor Nero. The basilica is the result of a special interaction of four geniuses of its time. The Renaissance architect Donato Bramante, who was at his birth, Michelangelo, whose design of the building details and the crossing of the ships surmounted by a dome pressed the seal of the Renaissance and the baroque artist Carlo Maderno with his solution of the monumental facade.

The architectural and artistic heritage of these artists was completed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a brilliant sculptor and architect, whose name will forever be associated not only with the completion of the interior of the church but above all with the construction of the square in front of the basilica. Inside there are many beautiful works of art, such as Michelangelo’s Pietà or Bernini’s canopy on the tomb of St. Peter. The majestic and magnificent dome of the basilica is visible in Rome from any elevated position.

In the underground, in a place called “Vatican Grotto”, there are more than 100 tombs where are buried the popes. Peter’s remains are located directly under the papal altar. Its name means “rock” in translation.

Where: St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican, Italy
Entry: free

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