St. Peter's Basilica is the main church of the Vatican. St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican: why it is worth visiting the main Catholic church in the world Design of the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican is the heart of the Catholic world. St. Peter's Basilica is the main decoration of the Vatican, whose artistic treasures attract millions of tourists. St. Peter's Basilica is the largest Catholic cathedral on the planet. Its main hall occupies 2.3 hectares.

The inside of St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican amazes with its volume, size, harmony of proportions, materials, and richness of design. The painting of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican by Michelangelo with coffered decoration is an artistic masterpiece of Rome. The observation deck of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, accessible for an additional fee by elevator, offers the most impressive panorama of Rome.

Construction of the cathedral that we see today began in 1506 and was completed 120 years later. In 1626, St. Peter's Basilica was consecrated by Pope Abran VIII. This is a rather short construction period for a temple, the likes of which in beauty and grandeur have never been seen before.

However, this time was enough for 13 pontiffs to replace themselves in office: Julius II, Leo X, Adrian VI, Clement VII, Paul III, Julius III, Marcellus II, Paul IV, Pius IV, Pius V, Gregory XIII, Sixtus V, Urban VII. The number of architects who headed this project is also significant and replete with great names: Donato Bramante, Raphael, Baldassare Peruzzi, Antonio da Sangallo, Michelangelo, Vignola. The temple later underwent further modernization in the early 17th century under the direction of the architect Carlo Maderno, and in 1656-1667 Bernini created the square in front of the cathedral, but that is another story.

The size of the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle is truly amazing. When you stand in front of the main facade and look at the statues of 11 more apostles, Jesus Christ and John the Baptist on top, you realize that you cannot take in the entire cathedral. Up close, you can’t even see the most important element – Michelangelo’s dome. Moving a little further into the center of St. Peter's Cathedral takes on a finished look, only now Bernini's colonnade is not included in the photo frame...

In front of the entrance to the temple there are 2 statues:

Statue of St. Peter. Peter holds the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, which the Lord gave him.
Statue of St. Paul. Paul holds a spear.

There are 5 doors leading to the cathedral. One of them deserves special attention. This door (last on the right side) was created in 1950. It opens in the anniversary year every 25 years. It is not only closed for 25 years, it is concreted and decoratively decorated on the inside.

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Rome. Basilica di San Pietro.

What does St. Peter's Cathedral hide inside?!

A visit to St. Peter's Cathedral for tourists and pilgrims is considered a continuation of the tour. After visiting the Sistine Chapel, the path leads to the artistic treasures of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The interior decoration of St. Peter's Basilica exceeds all expectations. The floor is paved with multi-colored porphyry and marble.

The walls of the cathedral are decorated with stucco, gold, silver, multi-colored marble (white, pink, green), decorated with sculptures and works of art.

The temple itself has the shape of a cross, at the intersection of which in the central part of the temple stands the Papal Altar. Four powerful pillars support the dome designed by Michelangelo (two-level dome). The height of the internal dome is 119 meters, and the diameter reaches 42 meters. The pillars are decorated with niches, in each of which there are figures of saints:

Statue of St. Andrew the First-Called (work by Francois Duquesnoy).
Statue of Saint Veronica.
Statue of Empress Helena with the Holy Cross in her hands (mother of Emperor Constantine).
A five-meter statue of Saint Longinus - a soldier who pierced Jesus Christ with a spear and subsequently converted to Christianity (work by Lorenzo Bernini, 1635).

The canopy (cevorite) by the great master Lorenzo Bernini is a stunning structure supported by 4 graceful twisted columns, the tops of which are decorated with four angels. From a distance it looks wooden: the craftsman’s work is so delicate. In fact, the canopy is made of bronze, and some elements are plated with gold. Bernini worked on it for 9 years from 1624 to 1633. There are also two symbols in the work:

symbol of the Papacy - crossed keys;
The symbol of the influential Barberini family is the bee.

Its height is 29 meters (4 storey building). And all this is located in the center of the cathedral under a painted dome rising up (the painting is the work of the Italian artist Cavaliero d’Arpino).

Just below Michelangelo's dome and Bernini's canopy is the entrance to an underground labyrinth that leads to one of the Vatican's most valuable treasures - the burial site of St. Peter. This sacred place is reserved for the highest clergy. In the center of the cathedral there is something directly related to Jesus Christ. Here you can see the symbol of St. Peter: an inverted cross.

The history of the unique cathedral begins in 64 AD. Then the king of the Roman Empire, Neuron, executed the follower of the Christian faith, the leader and first disciple of Jesus, 64-year-old Peter. According to legend, Peter asked to be crucified upside down. He believed that he was not worthy to die as the Savior. Peter was buried on Vatican Hill. In the 4th century, Christianity became the main religion of the Roman Empire and Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of a cathedral in honor of St. Peter on Vatican Hill. In the 16th century, construction began on a new cathedral that would reflect the power and influence of the Catholic Church. The new St. Peter's Basilica is a perfect example of the Renaissance. The most sacred place in St. Peter's Basilica is the Clementine Chapel. Here is the original altar and the center of the ancient cathedral. It was here that the Apostle Peter, the first disciple of Jesus Christ, was crucified, died and buried.

On the side, not far from the altar, there is a statue of St. Peter. She is considered miraculous. So don’t miss the opportunity to touch the feet of the statue of St. Peter and ask for your cherished wish to be fulfilled!

Another must-see masterpiece in St. Peter's Basilica is Michelangelo Buonarroti's Pietà.

Sculptural group “Pieta” or “Lamentation of Christ”. Michelangelo Buonarroti.

The sculptor worked on it for 2 years and completed his creation in 1499 at the age of 24. The sculptural group “Pieta” or “Lamentation of Christ” is made of marble and reaches a height of 1 meter 74 cm. Revealing the plot of “Lamentation of Christ”, the sculptures depicted only two main figures: the Virgin Mary holding her dead son Jesus Christ on her lap. Looking at the sculptural group, the question arises: why does Mary’s face look younger than that of her son Jesus. So Michelangelo tried to combine the ancient ideal of beauty with the Christian idea and embody the words of Dante, the author of the Divine Comedy, who wrote: “Our Lady, daughter of her son”!

Another interesting historical fact: the Pietà is the only work signed by Michelangelo. This was preceded by a story according to which one day Michelangelo witnessed how people admired his work in St. Peter's Basilica, and the authorship was attributed to another master. Therefore, he decided to correct this injustice and carved an inscription on the ribbon descending from Mary’s left shoulder, which translated means “Michelangelo Buonarroti the Florentine performed.”

Prices for hotels and apartments within walking distance of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The Vatican (Latin name Status Civitatis Vaticanæ, Italian - Stato della Citta del Vaticano) is an independent state. The sources also contain the name Vatican City State. It is the smallest officially recognized state in the world. In international law, the Vatican has the status of an auxiliary sovereign territory of the Holy See and the seat of the highest spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.

Many people mistakenly believe that the Vatican is a building. However, this is not true. The Vatican is a separate territory on which St. Peter's Basilica, the large central St. Peter's Square, the Sistine Chapel, the papal gardens and a complex of buildings consisting of museums, palaces, houses, administrative and utility buildings are located. In addition, on the territory of the Vatican State there is a helipad, its own Vatican or, as it is also called, papal post office, several gas stations, the oldest pharmacy in the world, a fire station, a library, a supermarket and even the shortest railway in the world.

All this is surrounded by the Vatican wall. From the outside, the wall looks more like residential buildings, perhaps because the houses stand close to the wall, or maybe because the wall is these houses. The total length of the wall and, accordingly, the state border of the Vatican is only 3.2 kilometers. Imagine what a dwarf state this is!

Geographically, the state is located in Rome, so it is like a state within a state, a city within a city. Located on Vatican Hill in the northwestern part of Rome, a few hundred meters from the Tiber River. To visit the Vatican you do not need to obtain any additional special visas or permits. If you are in Rome, you can easily visit the Vatican. Of course, you won’t be allowed into the gardens or on the territory of the papal estates, but going to St. Peter’s Basilica or strolling through the largest museum complex in the world, which is formed by the Vatican palaces, is quite possible.

Residents of the Vatican also have the corresponding Vatican citizenship. It would be more correct to say that they have dual citizenship - the Vatican and their own, where they come from. Obtaining Vatican citizenship is quite difficult, it is even impossible for an ordinary person, since Vatican citizenship is received only by the highest ranks of the Catholic Church from the pope's entourage. Even official residents of the Vatican are not all citizens.

The main Vatican Cathedral rises majestically above the state. It can be seen from many points in Rome.

The complex of Vatican buildings, which we can see from St. Peter's Square, has beautiful architecture with figures and patterns made of stucco.

St. Peter's Square

Arriving at the Vatican, the first place you come to is St. Peter's Square, also called Piazza San Pietro (Italian name Piazza San Pietro). The square is the largest and central square not only of the Vatican, but of all of Rome.

This area is of enormous size in the form of two symmetrical semicircles. Along the perimeter on both sides, the square is framed by semicircular colonnades of the Tuscan order, designed by Giovanni Bernini himself.

In the center of the square is a monument of architecture and history, a tall twenty-five-meter Egyptian obelisk.

Services and ceremonies take place in the square. The head of the entire Catholic Church, the Pope, takes part in many of them.

During services, chairs are placed on the square, and the entrance to the square is strictly through security and metal detectors.

Here, in the central Catholic square of the world, crowds of believers gather to listen to the speeches of the pontiff. And we did not ignore this spectacle; we attended one of the services on Sunday. There was just so many people of all ages gathered, it was impossible to squeeze through.

Service procession

The central and most beautiful building of the square is St. Peter's Cathedral or St. Peter's Basilica (Latin name Basilica Sancti Petri, Italian - Basilica di San Pietro). It is the main Catholic cathedral in the world, the central and largest building of the Vatican, as well as the largest historical Christian church in the world.

The cathedral is a great and significant monument of architecture and history of the Renaissance. The greatest masters of all times worked on its creation - Raphael, Michelangelo, Bramante and Bernini.

Cathedral of St. Petra was officially recognized as the greatest creation of world architecture.

After you visit St. Peter's Square, the most beautiful St. Basilica appears before you. Petra. The cathedral is located right on the square, being the most beautiful and main structure of the square. It is here that thousands of tourists and pilgrims flock every year.

The entrance to the Cathedral is here, on the right side of the square. To get inside the Temple, you need to stand in a long line, sometimes the line goes around the entire square. But don’t worry, the line moves quite quickly. Despite the large crowd of people, we stood for only 15 minutes. When entering the Cathedral, you go through a metal detector and security; the security does not allow people with bare shoulders, both men and women, to pass through. It’s customary to enter a Catholic church only with covered shoulders. In front of us, several young people in T-shirts were turned back. I was also wearing a T-shirt, but the people standing in line with us warned us in time and we bought a scarf in a nearby store.

Representatives of travel agencies scurry around the square and offer to take you to the temple and museums without queuing for money - 20-25 euros. A deception, of course, designed for an ignorant tourist. Entrance to the cathedral and museums is already free; although there seem to be a lot of people, the queue moves quickly. So it's not worth paying them money.

St. Peter's Cathedral is huge and majestic, with many richly decorated halls, decorated with mosaic patterns, stucco, gilding and high semicircular vaults. When you go inside, everything you see is simply breathtaking; it’s very difficult to describe what you feel. This is enthusiastic joy, admiration, surprise, and a certain awe from personal touching one of the greatest creations of man, concealing within itself the spirit of past centuries. This is not a program for you to watch on TV...

The Basilica contains many altars, tombstones and statues, as well as many wonderful works of art.

For an additional fee you can climb the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica. To do this, you need to exit the Cathedral and on the right side there will be an entrance to the dome. Entrance is paid, you can go up on foot, it costs 8 Euros per person, or you can take the elevator part of the way, paying 10 Euros per person. We, of course, went on foot.

Be sure to go up to the dome, it's worth it!!!

First, the ascent is carried out along a wide and spacious staircase. Then you go out onto the open terrace, part of the path has been covered. The elevator also arrives here. Then everyone walks. There is also a souvenir shop where you can buy magnets, sculptures and other goods with the symbols of the Vatican.

Further, along the spiral staircase encircling the dome, the ascent is carried out to the dome of the Cathedral itself. The staircase becomes narrower and acquires a slope characteristic of the dome shape. And at first you walk straight, and then you have to bend.

Having climbed right under the dome, you can see up close the vault of the dome decorated with paintings, and also look from above at the halls of the Cathedral, simply beautiful. Note that the dome of the Cathedral rises to a height of 136.57 meters from the floor of the basilica to the top topped with a cross, this is the tallest dome in the world.

Having admired the architecture of the dome, we go out to the open observation deck.

Papal, Vatican Gardens

We went out to the observation deck of the dome of Peter's Cathedral. And here the most beautiful panorama of the Papal Gardens opens up to your eyes, they are also called the Vatican Gardens.

These gardens are among the most protected places in the world. These are the most beautiful gardens in Europe and a place where you can relax, of course, only for a select few))

In the gardens you can see many lawns, fountains and greenery. And of course, residences and administrative buildings. Just imagine, in the morning, when the sun is not yet high and not so warm, dad or someone else leisurely walks along the alleys of the gardens with a cup of hot aromatic coffee in their hands, admiring the fountains, listening to the water gurgling in them and the birds singing, and there is silence all around, peace and tranquility...

In addition to the gardens, the dome offers an equally beautiful view of Rome.

We spent a long time looking for the chimney from which smoke comes out when choosing the next monarch. We saw only one pipe in the area. It seems that this is the very pipe from which, when choosing a new Pope, if the meeting of cardinals comes to a unanimous opinion, smoke comes from the burning ballots, indicating the results of the vote. Moreover, if the decision is not made, then the color of the smoke is black, and if it is accepted, and the pope is elected, then it is white. After all, voting is a secret and closed procedure, and only through smoke can one learn about the election of the Pope.

Papal Post or Vatican Post

In the square, to the right of St. Peter's Basilica, there is the Vatican post office. This is one of the most reliable and fastest mail in the world. The delivery time for letters anywhere in the world is 24 hours.

You can go to the post office to select a postcard and, for an additional fee, send news from the Vatican to your friends or acquaintances. The Post Office delivers approximately 8.5 million letters and postcards annually.

The post office also sells commemorative stamps. Commemorative stamps are issued for various occasions - the election of a new pope, holidays, in honor of Vatican Day, the birthday of the Pope and other similar events. The sale of stamps is the main and very profitable activity of the papal post office.

Now we will tell you a little about other places that are also located in the Vatican. Naturally, no one would let us get inside, so there are no photographs. Entrance to these places is only with special passes issued strictly to citizens of the Vatican, and even then not to everyone. Why? Yes, because the prices there are amazingly low, and the quality is amazingly awesome.

Vatican Pharmacy

The Vatican Pharmacy is the oldest in the world and is located near the Porta Sant'Anna. It is in this pharmacy that you can find the rarest medicines in the world. Medicines are available by prescription.

Since there are no taxes in the Vatican, the cost of all medications in the pharmacy is 12-25% lower than in other pharmacies in Italy and Europe. Medicines are sold here as if under a duty free system.

Thanks to low prices and a large assortment of rare and unique drugs, the pharmacy is very popular among the residents of Rome, but it is not easy to obtain permission to visit it for people not related to the Vatican. Such a permit is issued only if the required medicine is not available in pharmacies in Italy or another European country and the applicant has a prescription for it. To obtain permission to purchase medicines at a pharmacy, one prescription is not enough; you must also fill out a certain application and, in addition to the prescription, present a passport or other identification document. For the highest church clergy and Vatican employees, such permission, of course, is not required.

Vatican Supermarket

There is only one supermarket in the Vatican, but it's a great one. The quality of the goods is high, and the prices are much lower than in other stores in Rome. But only people with a special DIRESCO pass issued by the city governor have the right to visit and shop in this supermarket.

Vatican trading house

The Vatican Trading House is located in a former railway station. Entry is also limited. In the trading house, or our shopping center, you can find a wide range of electronics goods and expensive watches. As in the supermarket, all goods of the trading house are 20-40% cheaper than outside the Vatican territory.

Gas stations in the Vatican

There are several gas stations located on the Vatican territory. I think you have already guessed that only people close to the Pope with special permission can use them, and fuel prices are 30-35% cheaper than in all of Italy.

This time we didn’t manage to get into the Vatican Museums; by evening we were already tired. Next time we will definitely visit all the museums and tell you about them on the pages of this blog. If you are planning your trip to Rome, then set aside a couple of days for the Vatican. Since it is so beautiful and unusual that one day will not be enough to perceive it, and running around just to get everything done, you will agree, is not the best idea.

Publication date: 2014-07-16

(Italian: Piazza San Pietro) - a Baroque square in front of St. Peter's Basilica, which is considered the most important religious building for Catholics around the world.

Believers gather in the square to hear the papal address from the window of the Lateran Palace or from the balcony of the cathedral (on more solemn occasions, such as Christmas; the Pope also appears here for the first time in front of the public and after his election).

The square, like the cathedral of the same name, is named after St. Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. Before meeting his teacher, Christ’s favorite disciple was a simple fisherman, Simon. Having met Jesus, Simon took from him the name “Cephas,” which means “stone” in Aramaic. Subsequently, the Gospel began to use a translation from Greek: “petros - stone.” This is how the words of Jesus Christ explain his choice of the name of the apostle: “I tell you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it; and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The Apostle Peter is credited with many deeds, but he was most revered for the power with which he preached and healed the suffering. The Acts of the Apostles describes cases of healing the sick and resurrecting the dead, in particular, the incident in Joppa with the maiden Tabitha, whom he brought to life. Jerome of Stridon, a church writer and creator of the canonical Latin text of the Bible, wrote that the Apostle Peter was elected the first bishop of Rome in 43 and held this post for 25 years. According to legend, in 67, Peter was crucified like his teacher on the cross, during Christian persecutions organized by order of Emperor Nero. Not considering himself worthy to die as the son of God, Peter was crucified on the cross upside down.

Guided by the Christian legend about the burial of St. Peter under the ancient Roman Basilica of Constantine, built on the site of the Circus of Nero, St. Peter's Cathedral was built here in the 16th century. In 1939, excavations began, which lasted 10 years and as a result revealed to the world an ancient cemetery, where they discovered a grave that was especially revered in the 1st-2nd centuries. It is not known for certain whether that grave was the burial of the Apostle Peter or not, but in 1964, Pope Paul VI made an official statement that, according to scientific research, the grave of the Apostle can be considered discovered.

The construction of the monumental St. Peter's Cathedral also “provoked” the improvement of the adjacent square. Work was carried out from 1656 to 1667 under the direction of Lorenzo Bernini. When developing his project for the square, Bernini had to take into account many conditions. These are the features of the terrain (height difference of 8-10 meters), and the presence of the facade of the new cathedral dominating the entire territory of the square (its height is 45 meters), and two fountains and an obelisk already installed by that time. Embodying his architectural ideas, the talented architect found a constructive solution to transform the surrounding space into a complex of two squares. The trapezoidal part of St. Peter's Square is surrounded by galleries, and the oval part is decorated with two colonnades.

On the sides of the staircase, which is located on the trapezoidal part of the square, there are two statues of the apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, by Bernini. The grandiose colonnade, 19 meters high and deep, which is located on the oval part of the square, consists of 284 Doric columns arranged in four rows. The columns with powerful balconies and attic are decorated with 96 statues of saints and martyrs of the church. The colonnades and the cathedral are connected by closed corridors that diverge at the facade.

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In the very center of the square there are two 17th-century fountains by Carlo Maderna and Lorenzo Bernini. Between the fountains is an ancient Egyptian obelisk made of pink granite, dating back to the 1st century BC. In 37, Emperor Caligula brought him to Rome. The obelisk, more than 25 meters high, was brought from Heliopolis, the outskirts of modern Cairo. It was intended for a hippodrome, where it remained for a long time. During the Renaissance, they tried to transport the obelisk several times to St. Peter's Square, but the colossal size of the ancient relic required considerable effort to implement this idea. Only by the will of Pope Sixtus V and under the leadership of the architect and engineer Domenic Fontana, the transfer of the obelisk took place. Placed on a strong platform, the massive monument, with the help of rollers, winches and a draft force of 900 workers and 140 horses, finally found its place in the center of St. Peter's Square.

There is a legend that says that while lifting the obelisk and installing it in a horizontal position, some of the ropes began to break, and only an unknown person who was in the crowd of onlookers shouted: “Water on the ropes!” As a result, the wet rope tightened, and the obelisk was successfully installed on the pedestal. Thanks to the captain of the ship Bresca from the city of Sanremo, none of the workers were injured. Pope Sixtus V thanked the captain for the privilege of becoming the pontiff's supplier and providing the Vatican with palm trees for the religious holiday of Palm Sunday. Another legend says that the golden ball that once crowned the monument contained the ashes of Julius Caesar.

In 1930, in honor of the independence of the Vatican and the signing of the Lateran Agreements, the so-called “Reconciliation Street” was laid from the city center to St. Peter’s Square. From a bird's eye view, the general outlines of the street and square resemble the giant key that Jesus Christ spoke about when addressing the Apostle Peter: “And I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Currently, St. Peter's Square serves as a place of pilgrimage for Catholics who gather in front of the main Catholic Cathedral to receive the blessing of the Pope, take part in the festive mass and pray with believers from all over the world.

- group tour (up to 10 people) for a first acquaintance with the city and main attractions - 3 hours, 31 euros

- immerse yourself in the history of Ancient Rome and visit the main monuments of antiquity: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill - 3 hours, 38 euros

- history of Roman cuisine, oysters, truffle, pate and cheese during an excursion for real gourmets - 5 hours, 45 euros

St. Peter's Cathedral (Italian: Basilica di San Pietro; St. Peter's Basilica) is a Catholic cathedral, which is the largest building of the Vatican and until recently was considered the largest Christian church in the world. One of the four patriarchal basilicas of Rome and the ceremonial center of the Roman Catholic Church.

Cathedral and St. Peter's Square:

St. Peter's Basilica (Italian: Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano; St. Peter's Basilica) is a Catholic cathedral on the territory of the sovereign state of Vatican City. One of the four patriarchal basilicas of Rome and the ceremonial center of the Roman Catholic Church. Until 1990, the Cathedral of St. Peter's in Rome was the largest Christian cathedral in the world; in 1990 it was surpassed by the cathedral in Yamoussoukro, the capital of the African state of Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square:

The size of St. Peter's Basilica is simply amazing. It covers an area of 22,067 square meters. m. The height of the cathedral is 189 m, the length without a portico is 186.36 m, and with a portico - 211.5 m. Architectural style: Renaissance and Baroque.

Story

Once upon a time, on the spot where the Cathedral of St. Peter, the gardens of Nero's circus were located (from it, by the way, the obelisk from Heliopolis remained, which to this day stands in St. Peter's Square). In the circus arena during the time of Nero, Christians were martyred. In 67, the Apostle Peter was brought here after the trial. Peter asked that his execution not be compared to Christ’s. Then he was crucified head down. St. Clement, the then bishop of Rome, with the faithful disciples of the apostle, took his body from the cross and buried him in a nearby grotto.

Reconstruction plan for the Circus of Nero:

Reconstruction plan of Nero's Circus, superimposed on the plan of the cathedral. St. Peter's Tomb - St. Peter's grave

The first basilica was built in 324, during the reign of the first Christian emperor Constantine, and the remains of St. Peter, who suffered martyrdom in the circus of Nero in 66. At the second council in 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the West. In the 15th century The basilica, which had existed for eleven centuries, threatened to collapse, and under Nicholas V they began to expand and rebuild it. This issue was radically resolved by Julius II, who ordered the construction of a huge new cathedral on the site of the ancient basilica, which was supposed to eclipse both the pagan temples and the existing Christian churches, thereby helping to strengthen the papal state and spread the influence of Catholicism.

Almost all the major architects of Italy took turns participating in the design and construction of St. Petra. In 1506, the architect's project was approved Donato Bramante , according to which they began to build a centric structure in the shape of a Greek cross (with equal sides).

After Bramante's death, the construction was led by Raphael, who returned to the traditional form of the Latin cross (with an elongated fourth side), then Baldassare Peruzzi, who settled on a centric structure, and Antonio da Sangallo, who chose the basilica form. Finally, in 1546, the management of the work was entrusted to Michelangelo.

He returned to the idea of a central-domed structure, but his project included the creation of a multi-columned entrance portico on the eastern side (in the most ancient basilicas of Rome, as in ancient temples, the entrance was on the eastern, not the western side). Michelangelo made all the supporting structures more massive and highlighted the main space. He erected the drum of the central dome, but the dome itself was completed after his death (1564) by Giacomo della Porta, who gave it a more elongated outline. Of the four small domes envisaged by Michelangelo's design, the architect Vignola erected only two. To the greatest extent, the architectural forms exactly as they were conceived by Michelangelo have been preserved on the altar, western side.

But the story didn't end there. At the beginning of the 17th century. At the direction of Paul V, the architect Carlo Maderna lengthened the eastern branch of the cross - he added a three-nave basilica part to the centric building, thus returning to the shape of the Latin cross, and built a facade. As a result, the dome turned out to be a hidden façade, lost its dominant meaning and is only perceived from a distance, from Via della Concigliazione.

A square was needed that could accommodate the large number of believers who flocked to the cathedral to receive papal blessings or take part in religious celebrations. Completed this task Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini , who created in 1656-1667. The square in front of the cathedral is one of the most outstanding works of world urban planning practice.

St. Peter's Square. Bernini:

Facade

The height of the facade, built by the architect Carlo Maderna, is 45 m, width - 115 m. The attic of the facade is crowned with huge, 5.65 m high, statues of Christ, John the Baptist and the eleven apostles (except for the Apostle Peter). From the portico, five portals lead to the cathedral.

Carlo Maderna (Maderna; 1556-1629) - Roman architect, student of his uncle, Domenico Fontana. He immortalized his name mainly by completing the construction (in 1605-1613) of St. Peter's Cathedral.

Facade of St. Peter's Basilica. Architect Carlo Maderna:

Statues of the Apostles Peter and Paul:

At Easter 1847, Pope Pius IX decided to replace the statues of the apostles Peter and Paul that stood in front of the cathedral. The old statues were moved to the library of Sixtus IV, and in their place were placed statues made for St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. Author: Venetian sculptor Giuseppe De Fabris, 1838-1840. In the right hand of the apostle - the keys to paradise, on the left is a scroll with the words “ET TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI CAELORUM” (and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 16:19).
The author of the statue of St. Paul is Adamo Tadolini, 1838. In the right hand of the apostle is a sword, his symbol, in the left is a scroll with the words “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me,” Phil. 4:13, in Yiddish.

The doors of the central portal were made in the middle of the 15th century. and come from the old basilica. Opposite this portal, above the entrance to the portico, is a famous mosaic by Giotto from the late 13th century. "Navichella". The reliefs of the leftmost portal - the “Gate of Death” - were created in 1949-1964. by the great sculptor Giacomo Manzu. The image of Pope John XXIII is very expressive.

The Doors of Death are so named because funeral processions usually exited through these doors.

In preparation for the 1950 anniversary, Pope Pius XII announced a competition in 1947 to create three doors leading from the portico to the cathedral. The most outstanding artist among the winners was Giacomo Manzu. The door was made in 1961-64. 10 scenes on the doors express the Christian meaning of death. At the top right is the crucifixion of the Savior, on the left is the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Below are reliefs with a bunch of grapes and a sheaf of ears of grain, which simultaneously serve as door handles. When grapes and wheat die, they turn into wine and bread. During the sacrament of the Eucharist, they are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, that is, into the bread of life and the wine of salvation.

Below on the right are depicted: the death of the first martyr St. Stephen; the death of Pope Gregory VII, defending the Church from the claims of the emperor; death imporvised in space; death of mother at home in front of crying child.

"Gate of Death":

Gate of Death (fragment):

Bottom left (detail): depicts the murder of Abel, the peaceful death of Joseph, the crucifixion of St. Peter and the death of the “good pope” John XXIII.

There are five doors leading into the cathedral. The last door on the right is the Holy (3.65 m x 2.30 m), and it opens only in the Holy, or jubilee year, celebrated every quarter of a century.

Holy Gate:

From inside the cathedral, the Holy Door is walled up with concrete; a bronze cross and a small square box are attached to the concrete, in which the key to the door is stored. Every 25 years, on Christmas Eve (December 25), the concrete is broken before the anniversary year. In accordance with a special ritual, after three kneelings and three blows of the hammer, the Holy Door swings open and the pope, taking the cross in his hands, is the first to enter the cathedral. At the end of the Jubilee Year, the door is closed again and sealed for the next 25 years.

Walled Holy Gate (with Cross):

The holy gates are open. John Paul II walks through the door in 2000:

On December 24, 1949, the wooden panels, made in 1749, were replaced with bronze ones, by Vico Consorti, "master of doors" as he is called.

16 rectangular panels are separated by the coats of arms of the 36 popes who celebrated their next jubilee years. The main theme of the scenes depicted on the panels is the atonement of human sins by the grace of God.

The Lord knocks on everyone's door and waits for us to open it for him.

Panels of the Holy Door. 1st row:

Panels of the Holy Door. 2nd row:

Panels of the Holy Door. 3rd row:

Panels of the Holy Door. 4th row:

Jubilee year periodically proclaimed Holy year, during which the possibility of special absolution was allowed. This tradition has its origins in the Book of Leviticus of the Old Testament of the Bible (25:10): “... and sanctify the fiftieth year and declare freedom on the earth to all its inhabitants: this shall be your jubilee; and return every one to his possessions, and every one return to his tribe.”

The Hebrew word yo-bale" (hence the word "jubilee") means the sound of the shofar, the ram's horn, which announced the advent of the Year of Jubilee. Throughout the year, work in the fields was suspended, and slaves were set free. Houses sold or mortgaged (except those outside the walls cities or in the Holy Land) were returned free of charge to their original owner or his rightful heir, and all debts were released.

The Catholic Church associated the receipt of indulgences and the abolition of imposed penances with the jubilee years. The Holy Year was first celebrated in 1300 by decree of Pope Boniface VIII. Jubilee years were to be celebrated every hundred years, at the beginning of a new century. After Boniface VIII, it was decided to celebrate the anniversary every 50 years, then every 33 years (in honor of the earthly life of Christ). In 1470, Pope Paul II adopted a new decree: jubilee years should be celebrated every 25 years, so that each new generation could take part in the jubilee; A tradition arose obliging us to celebrate anniversary years at the beginning of each quarter of a century. At the beginning of the year 2000, called the Great Jubilee, Pope John Paul II, for the first time in history, pronounced a lengthy Mea Culpa on behalf of the Catholic Church, asking for forgiveness of sins committed by members of the church throughout history.

Interior

Inside, the cathedral amazes with its harmony of proportions, its enormous size, and the richness of its decoration - there are a lot of statues, altars, tombstones, and many wonderful works of art.

St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican. View inside St. Peter's Basilica
from the main entrance:

Central nave

The total length of the basilica is 211.6 m. On the floor of the central nave there are marks showing the dimensions of other largest cathedrals in the world, which allows them to be compared with the largest, the Cathedral of St. Petra.

At the end of the central nave, near the last pillar on the right, there is a statue of St. Peter's from the 13th century, attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio. The statue is credited with miraculous properties, and numerous pilgrims reverently place their lips on the bronze leg.

St. Peter Statue:

Statue of St. Peter (this is how the foot was cut off by the kisses of pilgrims):

The dome, an architectural masterpiece, has a height of 119 m inside and a diameter of 42 m. It is supported by four powerful pillars. Pope Julius II laid the first stone of the new cathedral on April 18, 1506 at the base of one of these pillars (with a statue of St. Veronica).

Dome of St. Peter's Basilica:

In 1624, Urban VIII ordered Bernini to create 4 loggias in these pillars to store relics. Bernini's role in the creation of the sculptural decoration of the cathedral is very great; he worked here intermittently for almost fifty years, from 1620 to 1670.

Below the loggias, in the niches of the pillars, there are huge statues corresponding to the relics kept in the loggias. Currently, some of these relics are located in other places.

Statue of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

The relic is the head of a saint.

The relic was brought to Venice by Thomas Palaiolagos, the last ruler of Morea, fleeing the Turkish invasion of the Peloponnese, and presented to Pius II (1460). As a sign of friendship with the Greek Orthodox Church, in 1966 Pope Paul VI presented the relic as a gift to the Church of St. Andrew in the city of Patras, where the saint died.

The relic is the spear of Longinus.

Like his predecessors, Pope Innocent VIII tried to stop the Turkish invasion, but he succeeded without the crusade he had planned to undertake. Pierre d "Aubusson captured Djem, the brother and rival of Sultan Bayezid II. The Sultan and the pope entered into an agreement in 1489, according to which Djem was held captive in Rome, and the Sultan left Europe and paid a ransom every year. In 1492, Bayezid gave the pope a fragment of a spear, which was believed to have belonged to the centurion Longinus (information from saintpetersbasilica.org).

Statue of Holy Queen Helen Equal to the Apostles:

Relic - particles of the Life-giving Cross.

Many fragments of the Holy Cross kept in the cathedral were donated to other churches. Therefore, Pope Urban VIII decided the particles kept in the Church of St. Anastasia and the Cathedral of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Italian: Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, which means “Holy Cross in Jerusalem” - one of the seven pilgrimage churches of Rome, located south of the Lateran ), move to St. Peter's Cathedral.

Statue of Saint Veronica. Author - Francesco Mochi, 1629:

Relic - part of the board with the image of Jesus Christ.

In the under-dome space above the main altar is Bernini's first work in the cathedral (1633) - a huge, 29 m high canopy (ciborium) on four twisted columns on which stand statues of angels, by Francois du Duquesnoy. Among these angels, one pair of angels holds the symbols of the pope - the keys and tiara, the other pair of angels holds the symbols of St. Paul - a book and a sword.

Ciborium (canopy) Baldacchino. Bernini:

The unusual shape of the columns repeats the silhouette of a twisted column from the Temple of Solomon, brought to Rome after the capture of Jerusalem. Among the laurel branches on the upper parts of the columns are visible the heraldic bees of the Barberini family. The ciborium required a huge amount of bronze. 100,000 pounds (37 or 45 tons, it all depends on which pound was used for measurements) were removed from the dome of the cathedral, then the same amount was sent from Venice and Livorno. When this was not enough, by order of Pope Urban VIII (Barberini), the structures that supported the roof of the Pantheon portico were dismantled. It was then that Pasquino said his catchphrase: “Quod non fecerunt Barbari fecerunt Barberini” (what the barbarians did not destroy, Barberini destroyed).

Although the canopy does not look particularly large in the interior of the cathedral, it is equal in height to a 4-story building. Bernini's masterpiece became the personification of the Baroque style.

The main altar is called the papal altar because only the Pope can celebrate Mass in front of it. The altar was consecrated by Pope Clement VIII on June 5, 1594. The altar was made of a large piece of marble brought from the forum of Emperor Nerva.

The main altar is called papal:

In front of the altar there is a staircase leading down to the tomb of St. Petra. This descent is called Confessio (confessional), because it can be considered as a cut-out window in the confessional, through which believers could turn their gaze to the shrine, hidden deep underground, where part of the relics of St. Apostle Peter.

“Confessional” of the Apostle Peter (under the floor is the place of the apostle’s supposed burial):

Place of storage of the relics of St. Peter the Apostle:

Through the canopy one can see the Cathedral of St., located in the central apse and also created by Bernini. Petra.

The Chair of Saint Peter:

It includes the chair of St., supported by four statues of the church fathers. Peter, above which the symbol of the Holy Spirit hovers in radiance. To the right of the pulpit is the tombstone of Pope Urban VIII by Bernini, to the left is the tombstone of Paul III (16th century) by Guglielmo della Porta, one of Michelangelo’s students.

Chair of St. Peter and Glory (fragment) Church Fathers

Church Fathers - an honorary title used since the end of the 4th century in relation to a group of prominent church leaders and writers of the past, whose authority had special weight in the formation of dogma, the compilation of the canon - the list of the Holy Books of the Bible (the separation of inspired books from apocryphal ones), hierarchical organization, and worship Churches. It is believed that the Fathers of the Church are distinguished by Orthodoxy of teaching, holiness of life, recognition of the Church and antiquity. The philosophical and theological teaching of the Church Fathers is called patristics.

In 1568, Pope St. Pius V recognized four Orthodox saints as Fathers of the Church: John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus and Athanasius of Alexandria.

Saints Ambrose of Milan, Athanasius the Great, John Chrysostom and Blessed Augustine:

On February 22, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Chair of St. Apostle Peter, which is a symbol of his preaching of the Word of God in Rome. Actually, a simple wooden chair served as the pulpit for St. Peter. Subsequently, it was strengthened and decorated, as is believed in Byzantium. Bernini built the composition so that it seems that the pulpit is floating in the clouds, supported by the Fathers of the Church (statues 5 m high). The base of the altar is made of Aquitanian black and white marble and jasper from Sicily.

Right nave

First on the right is the Chapel of the Pieta, before the Crucifixion. The chapel was renamed in 1749 after Michelangelo's Pietà was moved here, having previously changed several places in the cathedral. The chapel is decorated with mosaics made by F. Cristofari according to drawings by Ferri and Pietro da Cortona. The latter is called the Bernini of painting because of the quantity and significance of his works for the cathedral. Above the altar is the fresco "Triumph of the Cross" by Lanfranco, the only fresco from the cathedral not translated into mosaic. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament contains the only oil painting in the cathedral.

Chapel of the Pieta, before the Crucifixion:

The chapel contains Michelangelo's masterpiece - the marble Pieta. It was created by Michelangelo at the age of 25 at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. The order for the sculptural group was received on August 26, 1498 from Cardinal Jean Bilheres de Lagraulas, ambassador of the French king; the work was completed around 1500 after the death of the cardinal, who died in 1498. The sculpture was intended for the tombstone of the cardinal. The pedestal was made by Francesco Borromini in 1626.

Pieta, or lamentation of Christ. Michelangelo:

After the attacker attempted to break the statue, it was protected with glass.
On May 21, 1972, on the Saturday before Trinity, Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian from Australia, shouting “I, Jesus Christ!” struck the sculpture 15 times with a hammer. All blows fell on the Mother of God. Two years before this attack, a German knocked off two fingers from the statue of Pope Pius VI.

Nearby is a magnificent wooden crucifix from the late 13th to early 14th centuries, attributed to Pietro Cavallini.

Next to the Pietà there is a small chapel of the Blessed Sacraments.

Chapel of the Holy Sacraments:

The entrance to the chapel is closed by a forged lattice, made according to a drawing by Borromini. The entrance to the chapel is closed to tourists. You can only come here for prayers.

Magnificent tabernacle by Bernini (1674), gilded bronze:

The central part of the tabernacle is made in the form of a chapel-rotunda Tempietto by the architect Bramante (1502), located in the courtyard of the monastery of San Pietro in Montorio on the Janiculian Hill (eighth hill) in Rome.

Next to the Chapel of the Holy Sacraments is the tombstone of Gregory XIII,

On the left is an allegory of Religion, holding tablets with the law of God. On the right is Knowledge.

Tombstone of Pope Gregory XIII:

The bas-relief recalls the reform carried out by the pope - the introduction of a new calendar (Gregorian). October 4, 1582 was followed by October 15. October 4 is the day of remembrance of St. Francis, which should never have been missed. The pope is depicted with eminent astronomers and mathematicians, including Jesuit Priest Ignatius Danti, Father Clavius of Bamberg, and Antonio Lilio of Calabria. The dragon below is the heraldic animal of the Boncompagni family.

Pope Clement XI, persuaded by Candinal Buoncompagni (Gregory's cousin), ordered this new tombstone.

Tombstone of Matilda of Canossa:

In 1077, in Canossa, the castle of the Margravess Matilda, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, who had been excommunicated and deposed, humbly begged forgiveness from Pope Gregory VII.

Pope Urban VIII ordered this tombstone at the end of 1633. He wanted to honor the memory of this outstanding woman. On March 10, 1634, her body was transported from Mantua to the cathedral, where the tombstone was already ready.

The bas-relief by Stefano Speranza depicts Henry IV kneeling before Gregory VII on January 28, 1077.

At the top of the arch, Matteo Bonarelli, Andrea Bolgi and Lorenzo Flori sculpted putti holding a crown, a coat of arms and the motto: TUETUR ET UNIT (I protect and unite).

Altar of Saint Jerome:

Altarpiece "Last Communion of St. Jerome" by the artist Domenichino, 1614. Translated into mosaic in 1744. The famous painting is now kept in the Pinacoteca of the Vatican. The painting depicts St. Jerome receiving last communion from St. Ephraim, who is helped by St. Paula.

Hieronymus of Stridonsky
Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus (lat. Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; 342, Stridon on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia - September 30, 419 or 420, Bethlehem) - church writer, ascetic, creator of the canonical Latin text of the Bible. He is revered in both the Orthodox and Catholic traditions as a saint and one of the teachers of the Church. Saint Jerome's Day is celebrated by Catholics on September 30th. Memory in the Russian Orthodox Church (called Jerome the Blessed) is June 15 (according to the Julian calendar), in the Greek Orthodox Church - June 15.

Tombstone of Clement XIII. Sculptor Canova (1792):

Left nave

Tombstone of Alexander VII by Bernini, 1678. The last masterpiece of the 80-year-old Bernini.

Tombstone of Alexander VII, sculptor Bernini (1678):

The Pope is depicted kneeling surrounded by allegories of Mercy (with children, sculptor G. Mazzuoli), Truth (resting his left foot on the globe, sculptors Morelli and Cartari), Prudence (sculptor G. Cartari), and Justice (sculptor L. Balestri). Initially the figures were naked, but on the orders of Innocent XI Bernini draped the statues in metal.

Altar "Transfiguration of the Lord". Raphael, 1520:

Cardinal Giuliano di Medici, the future Pope Clement VII, commissioned this painting in 1517 from Raphael for the French cathedral in the city of Narbonne - the cardinal's see. Having completed only the face of Jesus Christ, Raphael died on Good Friday in 1520. The painting was completed by Raphael's students - Giuliano Romano and Francesco Penni. Vasari wrote that the unfinished painting was displayed near the head of Raphael's deathbed, breaking the hearts of everyone who saw it. The painting remained in Rome in the Palazzo Cancelleria, and was then placed in the Church of San Pietro in Montorio after 1523. In 1797 Napoleon took it to Paris, the painting was returned back in 1815. The female figure below symbolizes the Church, which gives peace, hope and faith.
The film combines two plots - the transfiguration of Christ and the episode about the meeting of the apostles with a demon-possessed boy who was healed by Jesus Christ, who descended from Mount Tabor. The painting itself is now in the Vatican Pinacoteca, and in the cathedral there is a mosaic copy of it.

Of great interest is the work created in the 1490s. The tombstone of Innocent VIII by the sculptor Antonio Pollaiolo is one of the few surviving monuments that were still in the old basilica.

Tombstone of Innocent VIII (1498), sculptor Antonio Pollaiolo:

Tombstone of Pope Innocent VIII (1498), fragment:

In his left hand, the pope holds the tip of the Holy spear, with which the centurion Longinus pierced the crucified Christ to ensure his death. This tip was presented to the Pope by the Turkish Sultan Bayezid II, in exchange for his sworn enemy, who was also the Sultan’s brother, being held captive in Rome. The tip of this arrowhead, kept in Paris, disappeared during the French Revolution.

Not far from the entrance you see another creation by the sculptor Canova - the tombstone of the last representatives of the Scottish royal Stuart family.

Tombstone of the last representatives of the Scottish royal family Stuart:

St. Peter's Basilica is the main church for more than a billion Catholics. Just imagine, more than 1,000,000,000 people around the world consider this place holy and want to get here. By comparison, Orthodoxy numbers about 225 million people.

Therefore, if you are going to Rome, then visiting the Vatican with this cathedral is almost a necessity, even if you are not a Catholic - this attraction is of world scale. To make the visit more interesting, below I will tell you interesting facts about the temple and its history of creation.

The Vatican holds a huge number of mysteries and secrets, and if you are planning a trip to Rome, I recommend visiting the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica with our guide.

History of the construction of the church

Before the cathedral was built, there were gardens on this site. Nearby was the circus of Emperor Nero. The circus was one of the favorite places of the townspeople; they often relaxed and had fun there. However, in parallel, the government carried out persecution of the first Christians: they tortured them, flogged them, and even threw them to lions.

And then one day in 67 AD the authorities captured one of Christ’s disciples, the Apostle Peter. It is necessary to clarify that Saint Peter arrived in Rome in 43 in order to unite and support Roman Christians; Apostle Peter led the Roman Church for 24 years.

And so, in the ill-fated year 67, the saint was captured and brought to trial. Of course, the judges, who worshiped many deities, sentenced the apostle to death, considering his faith to be unfaithful and alien. After the verdict, Saint Peter was brought to Nero's circus.

In just a year, the place of entertainment was turned into a place of execution; several hundred Christians had already been tortured to death at this place; now it was Peter’s turn.

But the apostle was not embarrassed before death, and instead of the usual execution, he wished for martyrdom, like Christ, on the cross. The saint was buried nearby, and Peter's close friends later erected a monument on his grave. The burial place of Peter became the first place of worship for Christians - people came here for confession or simply for advice.

Photo: Close-up of the main facade

Construction of the cathedral

After the recognition of Christianity, in 322, Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of a basilica on the site of the crucifixion of St. Peter; in fact, it served as the mausoleum of St. Peter.

In 1506, Pope Julius II decided to rebuild the small basilica into a more prestigious cathedral, which would actually serve as the main shrine of Christians.

The development of the project was entrusted to Donato Bramante, who became the first architect of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Later, more than one eminent master made an effort to create the church: Raphael Santi, Antonio da Sangallo, Michelangelo Buonarotti and Giacomo della Porta were directly involved in the construction of this snow-white miracle.

Drawing from Antonio da Sangallo

By the way, Michelangelo refused to work on the cathedral for a long time, reinforcing his words with the fact that he was not an architect, although Buonarotti also did not take on the well-known painting. Later, it was under Michelangelo Buonarotti that work progressed more than during the time of all previous masters combined: walls and a roof were built practically from scratch and work began on a huge dome.

But each of the previous great masters contributed their own ideas, which were reflected in the final version of Buanorotti’s drawings; the most dramatic changes occurred in the form: the original idea was to build a cathedral in the form of a Greek cross (with equal sides), then a Latin one (with an elongated lower part), then again Greek, but still settled on the Latin version.

The interior of St. Peter's Cathedral was created by the greatest architect of Italy - Lorenzo Bernini.

The completion of construction was marked by the consecration of the cathedral by Urban VIII on November 18, 1626. At the same time, the cathedral was officially opened and services began.

Cathedral architecture

Temple dimensions

St. Peter's Cathedral is striking in its scale: its height is 136 meters and its width is 211. For a long time it had the status of the largest Christian cathedral in the world, however, the status was “taken away” in 1990 by the basilica in the city of Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, but in terms of capacity it is still in first place among all churches.

View of the cathedral and

The pride of the cathedral is the altar to the tomb of the Apostle Peter (the altar has an opening so everyone can look inside), but Peter is not the only one buried here: many people canonized as saints are buried on the territory of the cathedral.

In front of the entrance to the temple there are statues of Saints Paul and Peter. In Peter’s hand are the keys to the “kingdom of heaven,” which the Lord himself handed to him.

Basilica dome

The dome is a masterpiece of architectural art. The height is 119 meters, and the diameter is 42 meters. The dome is supported by four huge pillars.

Inside the cathedral, under the dome, there is a masterpiece by Bernini - a canopy, 29 meters high, on four twisted columns. A canopy is a decorative canopy on poles. Above each of the four columns are statues of angels. The bronze for the canopy was taken from, dismantling the bronze structures supporting the portico.

Canopy - Bernini's masterpiece

Entrances to the cathedral

The temple has 5 doors. One of the doors has a very interesting purpose. These gates are the last on the right side, and they are called Holy. These gates open only in a special “Holy” year. The rest of the time the door is walled up. The walled door breaks before Christmas every 25 years. After triple genuflection and 3 blows of the hammer, the gates open and the pope with the cross enters the temple. After the end of the Holy Year, the gates are concreted for 25 years.

Helpful information

Dress code

When entering the temple, there is a certain dress code: legs and arms must be covered, women must have their heads covered, and men must remove their hats.

Climb the dome

Firstly, the ascent is divided into 2 stages: first along comfortable and wide stairs, and then along narrow and inconvenient (for people with broad shoulders or those who are overweight) stairs.
Secondly, the service is paid - 7 € on the elevator and 5 € on foot along the steps, and the elevator only works at stage 1 (the remaining 320 steps must be climbed on foot). In order not to stand in huge queues, it is better to arrive at the very opening (the ticket office starts opening at 8:00), or even better, 5-10 minutes in advance.
Thirdly, if you decide, you will be rewarded with unforgettable views from the highest point in Rome.

Opening hours

Peter's Cathedral opening hours and hours: open from 9.00 to 19.00 from April to September and until 18.00 from October to March. Closed for papal receptions on Wednesday morning.