Encyclopedia
The
Basilica of Saint Peter, officially known in
Italian as the
Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and colloquially called
Saint Peter's Basilica, ranks second among the four
major basilicas of
Rome . It is the most prominent building inside the
Vatican City. Michaelangelo's dome is also the dominant feature of the Roman skyline. Saint Peter's Basilica incidentally is also the patriarchal basilica of Constantinople whereas the Lateran Basilica is the patriarchal basilica of Rome. Possibly the largest church in
Christianity , it covers an area of 5.7 acres and has a capacity of over 60,000 people. One of the holiest sites of
Christendom in the Roman Catholic tradition, it is traditionally the burial site of basilica namesake
Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve
apostles of
Jesus, first Bishop of Antioch, and later first
Bishop of Rome. Although the New Testament does not mention Peter either in Rome, or martyred there, ancient tradition holds that his
tomb is below the baldachino and
altar; for this reason, many
Popes, starting with the first ones, have been buried there. Construction on the current basilica began on April 18, 1506 and was completed in 1626, and was built over the Constantinian basilica.
Although the Vatican basilica is not the Pope's official ecclesiastical seat , it is most certainly his principal church, as most Papal ceremonies take place at St Peter's due to its size, proximity to the Papal residence, and location within the Vatican City walls. The basilica also holds a relic of the
Cathedra is the chair [i] or throne [i] of a bishop [i]....
Petri, the episcopal throne of the basilica's namesake when he led the Roman church, but which is no longer used as the Papal
cathedra. It is believed that a piece of this cathedra, or chair, is contained within the altarpiece, designed by
Bernini.
Details
Burial site of St Peter
main article: Saint Peter's tomb
Other Burials
There are over 100 tombs located within St. Peter's Basilica. These include 91 popes,
St. Ignatius of Antioch, and the Renaissance composer
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons
Charles Edward Stuart and
Henry Benedict Stuart were exiled, Catholic English royalty who are buried here after being granted asylum from
Pope Clement XI. The most prominent woman entombed is
Christina of Sweden, who abdicated her throne in order to convert to Catholicism. The most recent interment was
Pope John Paul II on April 8 2005.
St Peter's Square
Directly to the east of the church is
St Peter's Square , built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1656 and 1667. It is surrounded by an elliptical colonnade with two pairs of Doric
columns which form its breadth, each bearing
Ionic entablatures. This is an excellent example of
Baroque architecture, where creativity is coupled with flexible guidelines. In the center of the
colonnade is a 25.5
metre tall obelisk. The
obelisk was moved to its present location in 1585 by order of
Pope Sixtus V. The obelisk dates back to the 13th century BC in
Egypt, and was moved to Rome in the
1st century to stand in
Nero's Circus some 250 metres away. Including the cross on top and its base, the obelisk reaches 40 metres . The Vatican obelisk is notable for being the second largest standing obelisk and the only one that remained standing since it was erected during the Roman Empire. On top of the obelisk there used to be a large bronze globe allegedly containing the ashes of
Julius Caesar. The original bronze globe was removed when the obelisk was re-erected in St Peter's Square by Domenico Fontana. There are also two fountains in the square, the north one by
Maderno and the southern one by
Bernini . The square is reached mainly through the Via della Conciliazione built by Mussolini after the conclusion of the Lateran Treaties.
The dome
The dome, or
cupola, was designed by
Michelangelo, who became chief architect in 1546. At the time of his death , the dome was finished as far as the drum, the base on which a dome sits. The dome was vaulted between 1585 and 1590 by the architect
Giacomo della Porta with the assistance of
Domenico Fontana, who was probably the best engineer of the day. Fontana built the lantern the following year, and the ball was placed in 1593.
As built, the double dome is brick, 42.3 metres in interior diameter , rising to 120 metres above the floor. In the mid-18th century, cracks appeared in the dome, so four iron chains were installed between the two shells to bind it, like the rings that keep a barrel from bursting. The four piers of the crossing that support it are each 18 metres across. It is not simply its vast scale from the floor of the church to the top of the added cross) that makes it extraordinary. Michelangelo's dome is not a hemisphere, but a paraboloid: it has a vertical thrust, which is made more emphatic by the bold ribbing that springs from the paired
Corinthian columns, which appear to be part of the drum, but which stand away from it like buttresses, to absorb the outward thrust of the dome's weight. The grand arched openings just visible in the illustration but normally invisible to viewers below, enable access all around the base of the drum; they are dwarfed by the monumental scale of their surroundings. Above, the vaulted dome rises to Fontana's two-stage lantern, capped with a spire.
The egg-shaped dome exerts less outward thrust than a lower hemispheric one would have done. The dome conceived by
Donato Bramante at the outset in 1503 was planned to be carried out with a single masonry shell, a plan discovered to be infeasible. San Gallo came up with the double shell, and Michelangelo improved upon it. The piers at the crossing, which were the first masonry to be laid, and which were intended to support the original dome, were a constant concern, too slender in Bramante's plan, they were redesigned several times as the dome plans evolved.
Other domes around the world, built since, are always compared to this one which served as model:
Saint Joseph's Oratory in
Montreal,
Quebec,
St Paul's Cathedral in
London, Les Invalides in
Paris,
United States Capitol in
Washington, DC, the
Pennsylvania State Capitol in
Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania,
Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City,
Missouri, the Texas Capitol in
Austin, Texas,and the more literal reproduction at the
Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire.
Entrances
Above the main entrance is the inscription
IN HONOREM PRINCIPIS APOST PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS PONT MAX AN MDCXII PONT VII .
The façade is 114.69 metres wide and 45.55 metres high. On top are statues of Christ,
John the Baptist, and eleven of the apostles; The statues of St Peter and St Paul are in front of the parvis. Two clocks are on either side of the top, the one on the left has been operated electrically since 1931, its oldest bell dating to 1288.
Between the façade and the interior is the
portico. Mainly designed by Maderno, it contains an
18th century statue of
Charlemagne by Cornacchini to the south, and an
equestrian sculpture of
Emperor Constantine by Bernini to the north. The southernmost door, designed by Giacomo Manzù, is called the "Door of the Dead". The door in the center is by Antonio Averulino , and preserved from the previous basilica.
The northernmost door is the "Holy Door" in bronze by Vico Consorti , which is by tradition, only opened for great celebrations such as Jubilee years. Above it are inscriptions, the top reading
PAVLVS V PONT MAX ANNO XIII, and the one just above the door reading
GREGORIVS XIII PONT MAX. In between are white slabs commemorating the most recent openings.
IOANNES PAVLVS II P.M.
PORTAM SANCTAM
ANNO IVBILAEI MCMLXXVI
A PAVLO PP VI
RESERVATAM ET CLAVSAM
APERVIT ET CLAVSIT
ANNO IVB HVMANE REDEMP
MCMLXXXIII – MCMLXXXIV
|
IOANNES PAVLVS II P.M.
ITERVM PORTAM SANCTAM
APERVIT ET CLAVSIT
ANNO MAGNI IVBILAEI
AB INCARNATIONE DOMINI
MM-MMI
|
PAVLVS VI PONT MAX
HVIVS PATRIARCALIS
VATICANAE BASILICAE
PORTAM SANCTAM
APERVIT ET CLAVSIT
ANNO IVBILAEI MCMLXXV
|
In the jubilee year of human redemption 1983-4, John Paul II, Pontifex Maximus, opened and closed again the holy door closed and set apart by Paul VI in 1976.
| John Paul II, Pontifex Maximus, again opened and closed the holy door in the year of the great jubilee, from the incarnation of the Lord 2000-2001.
| Paul VI, Pontifex Maximus, opened and closed the holy door of this patriarchal Vatican basilica in the jubilee year of 1975.
|
Gallery
Interior
Walking along the right aisle of the basilica, there are several noteworthy
monuments and memorials. The first is Michelangelo's
Pietà, located immediately to the right of the entrance. After an incident in 1972 when an individual damaged it with an
axe, the sculpture was placed behind protective glass. Up the aisle is the monument of
Queen Christina of Sweden, who abdicated in 1654 in order to convert to Catholicism. Further up are the monuments of popes
Pius XI and
Pius XII, as well as the altar of
St Sebastian. Even further up is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, which is open during religious services only. Inside it is a tabernacle on the altar resembling
Bramante's
Tempietto at
San Pietro in Montorio. Bernini sculpted this gilded bronze tabernacle in 1674. The two kneeling angels were added later. Further still are the monuments of popes
Gregory XIII and
Gregory XIV.
In the northwestern corner of the nave sits the statue of St Peter Enthroned, attributed to late
13th century sculptor
Arnolfo di Cambio . The foot of the statue is eroded due to centuries of pilgrims kissing it. Along the floor of the nave are markers with the comparative lengths of other churches, starting from the entrance . Along the pilasters are niches housing 39 statues of saints who founded religious orders.
Walking down the left aisle there is the Altar of Transfiguration. Walking down towards the entrance are the monuments to
Leo XI and
Innocent XI followed by the
Chapel of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. After that come the monuments to
Pius X and
Innocent VIII, then the monuments to
John XXIII and
Benedict XV, and the Chapel of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin. After that comes the
Monument to the Royal Stuarts, directly opposite the one to
Maria Clementina Sobieska. Symmetrically, the two monarchs who gave up their thrones for their Catholic faith in the
17th century, are honored side by side in the most important church in Catholicism. Finally, right before the end of the church, is the Baptistry.
The right transept contains three altars, of
St Wenceslas, St Processo and St Martiniano, and St Erasmus. The left transept also contains three altars, that of St Peter's Crucifixion,
St Joseph and St Thomas. West of the left transept is the monument to
Alexander VII by Bernini. A skeleton lifts a fold of red marble drapery and holds an hourglass symbolising the inevitability of death. He is flanked on the right by a statue representing religion, who holds her foot atop a globe, with a thorn piercing her toe from the
British Isles, symbolizing the pope's problems with the
Church of England.
Over the main altar stands a 30 metres tall
baldachin held by four immense pillars, all designed by Bernini between 1624 and 1632. The baldachin was built to fill the space beneath the cupola, and it is said that the bronze used to make it was taken from the Pantheon. The representation of a chair, part of the sculpture, is said to contain the remnants of the chair belonging to Saint Peter Underneath the baldachin is the traditional tomb of St Peter. In the four corners surrounding the baldachin are statues of
St Helena , St Longinus ,
St Andrew and
St Veronica . Each of these statues represents a relic associated with the person, respectively, a piece of The Cross, the
Spear of Destiny, St Andrew's head and
Veronica's Veil. In 1964, St Andrew's head was returned to the
Greek Orthodox Church by the Pope. It should be noted that the Vatican makes no claims as to the authenticity of several of these relics, and in fact other Catholic churches also possess "the same" relics.
Along the base of the inside of the dome is written, in letters 2 metres high,
TV ES PETRVS ET SVPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECCLESIAM MEAM. TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI CAELORVM . Near the top of the dome is another, smaller, circular inscription:
S. PETRI GLORIAE SIXTVS PP. V. A. M. D. XC. PONTIF. V. .
The Burial of St Petronilla is an altarpiece painted by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri in 1623. It simultaneously depicts the burial and the welcoming to heaven of the martyred St Petronilla. The altar is dedicated to the saint, and contains her relics.
At the
apse of the church is the
Triumph of the Chair of Saint Peter by Bernini, a focus of the Feast of
Cathedra Petri celebrated annually on February 22 in accordance to the calendar of saints. The triumph is topped by a yellow window in which is a dove, portraying the
Holy Spirit, surrounded by twelve rays, symbolising the apostles. Beneath it is the bronze encasing of the
relic of the chair of St Peter, given to the Vatican from
Charles the Bald in 875. To the right of the chair are
St Ambrose and St Augustine , and to the left are
St Athanasius and
St John Chrysostom . Further to the right is the monument to
Urban VIII, by Bernini, and further to the left is the monument to
Paul III.
Miscellaneous
A frequent confusion due to the similar names is between the basilica and the church of
San Pietro in Vincoli . The latter is situated on the other side of the
Tiber river.
The
Guinness Book of Records, known until 2000 [i] as
The Guinness Book of Records is a referenc...
currently lists the
Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro - which was largely inspired by St Peter's Basilica - as the largest church, surpassing St Peter's when it was completed in 1989. The validity of this, however, continues to be debated. However, you can fit the
Statue of Liberty in the dome where the main altar sits.
The spending on the
Basilica prompted dissent from those who would become the initiators of the
Protestant Reformation.
Pope Leo X had used the promise of a holy war against the
Turks to raise money from the jubilee
indulgences, and instead used it for building the Basilica. Several people confronted
Martin Luther for refusing to recognize the indulgences of Johannes Tetzel, who was dispenser of the indulgences where Luther lived. Therefore, Luther sought to have an academic debate, which he announced by the posting of his
95 Theses on October 31, 1517, generally considered the beginning of the Reformation.
With the beginning of the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church came back with the
Counter Reformation and began commissioning artwork and architecture to use as tools to draw the people back to the fold. Saint Peter’s Basilica became one of these tools, and the architects were fully aware of the goal behind their art.
Bernini, when adding the colonnades that extend out to the piazza, said that the colonnades were “like the arms of the Church, which embrace Catholics to reinforce their belief, heretics to reunite them with the Church, and agnostics to enlighten them with the true faith” . This statement made by the architect himself most candidly expresses the reasoning behind the Church finally finishing Saint Peter’s.
Historically, St. Peter’s provides an excellent example of how one art process, one structure, and the society’s definition of acceptable art can change over the course of two centuries. When
Bramante designed his version of Saint Peter’s during the
Renaissance, his design was a centralized building that “would have united the cross, the square, and the circle to symbolize perfect unity” . During the Renaissance art was many times based on geometry and a balance that would give the viewer the most serene response to the work. Also, the Renaissance was about the rebirth of interest, the revival of interest in the classical. When designing St. Peter’s, Bramante had been looking at previous architecture and had been influenced by other artists. Bramante might have been and probably had been looking at structures such as Alberti’s Sant’ Andrea and
Brunelleschi’s
Florence Cathedral,
Santo Spirito, and
Pazzi Chapel. Going even further back than these artists, Bramante was probably most influenced by the
Pantheon and its centralized design and dome. This Renaissance centralized plan, though used as a starting point, changed dramatically when Maderno added a
nave and Bernini added his
colonnades and
piazza. Art went from geometric harmony to a tool used to sway people’s opinions and attitudes toward the Church and away from the Protestant Reformation.
Saint Peter's took two centuries to complete. This was far longer than the construction itself took. The reason for the long delay was that popes usually attain their high status at an old age, and so by the time a man was elected to the position of pope, he only had a few years left of his life to do anything. Combine this with the fact that each new pope would pick a new architect, and that architect would have to do unnecessary changes to Bramante’s original plan to make it his own, and finally, by the time all of this was done, construction would begin and shortly thereafter end because of either the pope’s death or the architect’s death.
Notes
References
- , a National Geographic Television Special
- Bannister, Turpin. “The Constantian Basilica of Saint Peter at Rome.” The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 3-32.
- Boorsch, Suzanne. “The Building of the Vatican: The Papacy and Architecture.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 1-2;4-64.
- Finch, Margaret. “The Cantharus and Pigna at Old Saint Peter’s.” Gesta .
- Frommel, Christoph. “Papal Policy: The Planning of Rome during the Renaissance.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History. 39-65.
- McClendon, Charles. “The History of the Site of St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.” Perspecta. 32-65.
- Kleiner, Fred and Christin Mamiya. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. v2. 12th edition. , 499-500, 571-575.
External links
- pictures and virtual reality movies
- Comprehensive History, Maps, Photos, Books, Blog
- Catholic Encyclopedia article
- VR panorama with map and compass effect by Tolomeus
-
- on the Basilica by Prof. Kenneth Bartlett of The Teaching Company
- QTVR panorama hi-res by Tolomeus
