We toured the “Papal Basilica of St. Peter” which is commonly referred to as simply St. Peter’s Basilica.
The history of the church and why it is called St Peter is interesting. Peter was one of the 12 apostles of Christ and was crucified upside down at the top of the hill called “Vaticanus” and the site of the Clementine Chapel. His remains are said to be those contained in the underground Confessio in St. Peter’s Basilica.
We entered the Basilica through the massive main doors and we were immediately exposed to the vast size of the church.
The high ceiling and ornate designs were very impressive. The high ceilings accented the vast size of the church. The ceilings were decorated with ornate gold designs and other art motifs with marble pillars throughout.
There were numerous statues throughout the church some of which were from the 1st century. These statues were created by many famous artists including Michelangelo. The first chapel on the right when we entered the Basilica contained the famous sculpture by Michelangelo “Pieta” which he completed before he was 25 years old.
There were mosaic decorations that were very impressive including the mosaic decoration of the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian. It adorns the chapel of St. Sebastian and at the base of the chapel is the tomb of Saint John Paul II.
The basilica floors were marble and had different designs. One area of the floor had engraved markings identifying different churches throughout the world and their size in comparison to St. Peter Basilica.
We went to the center of the Basilica and looked up to see the interior of the Michelangelo’s dome decorated by Calvalier d’Arpino. It is breathtaking with the rays of the sun shining through.
We saw so many different monuments, altars and works of art that were very impressive. One monument that was amazing was situated under the Michelangelo dome .
There is an alabaster window which is quite impressive and large. It is located above the “Chair of St Peter” the window displays a dove signifying the holy spirit.
The window is very large and the dove wing span is 6 feet wide. The beauty of this window is unbelievable. The light shines through the alabaster window highlighting the dove in a stunning and brilliant manner. It is one of the most stunning pieces of art we have ever seen.
We exited the Basilica and stepped out to see and admired the St Peter Square. The size and scope of the square were amazing.
We walked through the square and stopped to see two of the swiss guards who are the official guards of the Vatican since the 15th century. They are wearing their tradition dress uniform whose design is traditionally attributed to Michelangelo.
St Peter Square is a very large area with several iconic features. The square is bordered by two colonnades. They are composed of pillars and on, top there are 140 statues of Saints.
From the far end of the square, you overlook the square with St. Peter’s Basilica and the Michelangelo dome in the distance.
The square has an Egyptian obelisk from the 1st century which was erect in the centre of the square in the fifteenth century.
We had a very long day walking through the Vatican museums, The Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Saint Peter Square. It was an amazing experience for us. Below are some pictures from St Peter’s Basilica and the St Peter Square.
“bene vale , et postea videbo vos”
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