Saint Peter's square is the greatest piazza in Rome. In Roman time it was the place where the Circus of Nero stood, and where in 65 was crucified St. Peter. After 250 years he was buried in the point where Costantine built the first Basilica in 326.
Notice that up to that epoch Rome was of pagan faith and the bodies were buried in the catacombs outside the walls of the city, and only after the edict of Milan in 313 Costantine and Licinius allowed the Christians to freely observe their religion and to bury the bodies inside the city boundaries: that's why St. Peter was buried in the homonymous area more than 250 years later.
The Vatican (included St. Peter Basilica) was the papal residence only since 1377 (from 1309 to 1377 it was Avignon) and until then had been St. John in Lateran. A succession of 266 Popes (the last was John Paul II), many of which beatified.
The construction of a new structure went on through obstacles of every kind. During the 77 years of the papacy in Avignon the basilica was abandoned to itself and its restoration was impossible. In 1447 Pope Nicolas V decided to rebuild it submitting the project to Rossellino, but the jobs stopped with the death of the Pope. The jobs of the new Basilica started under Julius II with Bramante in 1506 and they took 120 years to complete, the 18th of November 1626, same date of the beginning of the old one by Constantine.
In 1546, Pope Paul III called Michelangelo Buonarroti to work on the site: at his death, 18th February of 1564, the design of the Basilica had been conceived to Greek cross and it assumed the form of Latin cross (design of the actual Basilica) with Carlo Maderno. Only the drum of the dome had been made and the rest of the job was finished by Giacomo Della Porta and Domenico Fontana (1588-1589).
The Colonnade is the most beautiful masterpiece of Gianlorenzo Bernini with its 140 statues of saints. The obelisk of St.Peter's square comes from the Circus of Nero and was set in the square by Sixtus V (1585-1590). Its two fountains are of Maderno (1613) to the right side looking at the facade and of Carlo Fontana (1675) to the left side.
Maderno had built the facade since 1607 to 1614 and his name is enrolled in the structure. In the portico it is the famous one "mosaic of the Navicella" by Giotto (1300). On the facade there are 5 doors: the Door of the Death of Manzù (1952-1964), the Bronze Door (Filarete), the Holy Door (where the Pope kneels every Holy Year in the Christmas day and hits three times the door to enter), the Door of the Good and the Evil and the Door of the Sacraments. To the entry there is a porphiry red disk where Charlemagne was crowned king in the Christmas day of the year 800 from Pope Leo III.
The dimensions of the Basilica, engraved in the floor, are impressive: 211,50 meters (including portico), 186,30 meters (without portico), 44 meters high and the dome is 136 meters high. The Canopy that covers the Major Altar, made by Gianlorenzo Bernini in 1633, is 29 meters high and has been done with the bronze of the ceiling of the Pantheon under commission of Pope Urban VIII Barberini.
Under the Major Altar we can see the grave of St. Peter, but the glorification of that humble fisherman is the stately dome that raises in the sky.
Visiting Saint Peter's Basilica
Spending one day of your tours to Rome inside the Vatican will enrich your roman experience and understanding of the catholicism: the history of Rome must count 1.300 years of Popes' kingdom at the end of the roman empire and we do not have to forget that today the pope role is the end of an important historical and religious process which started 2000 years ago.
Touring the Vatican with a private tour of Rome is an unbelievable experience which makes us proud to lead our customers coming from any part of the world to admire the treasures of Rome. Sightseeing across the frescoes and the architectural landmarks like the Colonnade of Bernini makes breathtaking the experience of studying the history of the smallest country in the world.
Visiting today the Vatican means to spend at least one hour standing in line bacause the tourism in Rome increases every year of 10% and more and more people would like to visit important buildings like the Sixtine Chapel.
Please note that there is a dress code to enter in St Peter Basilica, as local custom requires: knees and shoulders must be covered.
