Saint Peter's Basilica is rated to be one of the most beautiful buildings ever made. For centuries, this Basilica has been the center of the catholic faith and has been regarded as one of the holiest christian sites of all time. Saint Peter's Basilica is one of the largest religious buildings ever and has the largest interior of any christian church in the world. It has an impressive interior capacity of over 60,000 people. The history of the Basilica dates back almost 2000 thousand years. The Basilica is named after Saint Peter, one of the 12 apostles and, according to tradition, the first bishop of Rome.
Saint Peter is therefore the first in the line of papal succession. After the crucifiction of Jesus in the first century, peter took a leading position among Jesus's followers and was of great importance in the Christian church. It is believed that peter met his death traveling to rome in the year 64. The crucifixion took place close to an ancient Egyption obelisk in Nero. The obelisk is the very same one that you can see standing in the center of st peter's square today. Peter was buried near the circus of Nero less that 170 yards away from the pace of his death. A few years later, a small shrine was built to honor him. Almost 300 years later the shrine was replaced by a Basilica. An order of the first christian emperor of rome, Constantine the first. Over the course of time the basilica was becoming more and more run down. Falling into a state of disarray and abandonment. In order to combat this, Pope NIcholas the 5th ordered restoration and enlargement in the 15th century. The work on the new grand basilica didn't start until pope nicholas whas dead. When the new pope, Julius the 2nd, laid the first stone of the basilica in 1506. Through the projects several noted architects and artists were involved. The most noted was the artist and architect Michelangelo. He was the chief architect and was responsible for its main design as well as several other features. Michelangelo never got to see his work completed. He died in 1624, two years before the Saint peter's Basilica was finished.
The building is truly massive with its 218 meter long nave. The basilicas dome is the world's largest, measuring 47 meters in diameter and reaching 130 meters upwards. The square in front of the basilica was built between 1656 and 1667, Designed by Bernini. The centerpiece is the massive obelisque, you can see it is flanked by two standing fountains. The obelisk dates back to the 13th century BC and was brought back from egypt to rome in the first century. It was moved to the present location in the 16th century by order of pope Sixtus the 5th. The obelisk stands 40 meters tall including the cross at the top. The quare is lines with open colonnade symbolically welcoming the visitors to the catholic church with open arms. The colonnade is adorned with 140 beautiful statues. They were sculpted by a number of different artist in the 17th century and depict a number of christian saints. Now let's turn our attention to the front of the facade of the basilica. The facade was built by Carlo Maderno, it stretches almost 120 meters. In the middle of the facade you can see the classical central balcony. This balcony is called The Loggia of the Blessings and is used for the announcement of the new Pope. Underneath the balcony you can see a relief of christ giving the keys to saint peter. You can read a long inscription talking about the pope and who the building was dedicated too. The facade is crowned with 13 statues. These statues depict christ flanked by the twelve apostles. If you look at either sides of the states significantly larger than those on top of the facade. These statues represent the patron saints of rome. Looking at the building you have Saint Peter on your left and Saint Paul on your right. Previous to these statues there were small statues who were replaced by pope Pius the 9th in the mid 19th century.
One can easily be impressed by the outside of the basilica but once inside it is even more beautiful and architectural. The buildings interior displays the wolf of the catholic church in the 16th century. It includes 45 alters and is decorated by a variety of famous artists. One of the most famous being the Pieta by Michelangelo as well as the papal altar and the throne of of saint Peter by Bernini. You can also find the tombs of many popes here. Tradition and historical evidence shows that st peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. This is the reason why many popes have been laid to rest here as well. The majority of tombs are found in the crips, which also contain architectural fragments from the original church.
It is a place of pilgrimage and tourism for millions of people. It is highly regarded and is truly regarded as one of the greatest building ever constructed. It has been described as holding a “unique position in the Christian world,†and as the “greatest of all churches in Christendom†A very bold claim to make but not an accurate one.