St. Peter's Basilica
The mother church of Catholic Christendom, built over the tomb of St. Peter.
Overview
St. Peter's Basilica is the largest church in the world by interior volume and the ceremonial heart of the Roman Catholic Church. It stands within Vatican City, built over what tradition holds to be the burial site of Simon Peter — the apostle Catholics recognize as the first Bishop of Rome and the rock on which Christ founded His Church.
Though the Pope's official cathedral is St. John Lateran, papal inaugurations, canonizations, and funerals all center on St. Peter's. The basilica and its sweeping elliptical piazza function as the public face of the papacy and the gathering place of global Catholicism.
Historical significance
The original basilica was commissioned by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century over what was believed to be Peter's grave. By the 15th century the ancient structure was crumbling, and Pope Julius II commissioned a new basilica in 1506 — a project that would span 120 years and pass through the hands of Bramante, Raphael, Sangallo, Michelangelo, Maderno, and Bernini.
The sale of indulgences that financed its construction famously provoked Martin Luther's 95 Theses in 1517, making St. Peter's the indirect catalyst for the Protestant Reformation. Today its balcony announces each new Pope with the ancient words "Habemus Papam" — "We have a Pope."
Architecture
Michelangelo's dome — 136.57m (448ft) tall — remains the tallest dome in the world and the defining silhouette of the Roman skyline. Bramante's original Greek-cross plan was later extended by Maderno into a Latin cross with a vast nave.
Inside: Bernini's 29-meter bronze baldachin over the high altar, Michelangelo's Pietà (carved when he was 24), and the gilded Cathedra Petri enshrining the chair of Peter. The elliptical piazza outside, framed by Bernini's colonnade of 284 travertine columns, is composed to evoke the maternal embrace of the Church.
Notable figures
- St. PeterTraditional burial site beneath the high altar
- Pope Julius IICommissioned the new basilica in 1506
- Donato BramanteFirst architect; proposed the Greek-cross plan
- Michelangelo BuonarrotiDesigned the dome and carved the Pietà
- Gian Lorenzo BerniniCreated the baldachin, the piazza, and the colonnade
Related doctrines
Visiting
Open daily. Entry to the basilica is free; the dome climb and the Scavi — the ancient necropolis beneath the church containing what is venerated as the tomb of Peter — require timed tickets.