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St. Peter's Basilica And St. Peter's Square

The Greatest of All Churches of Christendom

Situated in the heart of the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica is the largest church in the world, with a dome nearly 140 meters high and overlooking the Vatican City and Rome. St. Peter's Square in front of the Basilica, designed by Bernini, has an Egyptian obelisk and two semi-circular colonnades leading to the entrance of the church.

As the symbol of Catholicism, St. Peter’s Basilica is located in the heart of the Vatican City and is a sacred site for millions of Catholics.

St. Peter’s Basilica (Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano) was built between the 16th and 17th centuries, covers 20,000 square meters and is The World's Largest Church, with a massive dome nearly 140 meters high. The church has a huge collection of sculptures and paintings, the most famous of which are Michelangelo’s sculpture “Pietà” and Bernini’s bronze canopy.

Manywhere Trivia:
St. Peter’s Basilica is neither the Pope’s official seat nor first in rank among the Major Basilicas of Rome. This honor is held by the Pope’s cathedral, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran which is the mother church of all Catholic churches.

The trapezoidal square in front of the cathedral is called St. Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro), also named after St. Peter, the apostle of Jesus and the first pope. The Egyptian Obelisk in the middle of the square was erected in 1586 and is 40 meters high, predating St. Peter’s Square.

Designed by the Italian sculptor and architect Bernini, St. Peter’s Square has Two Semicircular Colonnades, supported by four rows of Doric columns that lead to the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica. Each of the total 162 columns is Decorated with Statues at the Top, which were completed under Bernini’s supervision.

Between the obelisk and colonnades, there are Two Fountains, which bring balance to the design of the square.

Manywhere Trivia:
In the 16th century, a group of mercenaries from Switzerland proved their loyalty by fighting to the death to keep the Pope safe. Since then, the Vatican’s papal personal guard has been made up entirely of Swiss soldiers, and remains so to this day.

Continuing east along the axis of St. Peter’s Basilica and Square is a historic avenue about half a kilometer long, called Via della Conciliazione (Road of the Conciliation). The avenue leads to the famous Castel Sant'Angelo with historic houses on both sides.