If you want to beat the 20,000 other people who visit St. Peter’s daily, get there early! We arrived at around 8 a.m. and were delighted to walk right in. This massive structure is overwhelming, so best to view it as empty as possible.
The cathedral stands on the site where St. Peter was allegedly buried sometime between A.D. 64 and 67. The original structure was built in the 4th century under Constantine’s direction.
What we see today is a renovated version, as the original cathedral fell into disrepair over ten or so centuries. In the 16th century, Bramante envisioned a new design featuring a Greek-cross plan with a central dome and four smaller domes. The plan destroyed the original structure’s Byzantine mosaics and frescoes, which was controversial. Fast-forward 150 years (and you thought today’s construction was slow), though, and you might agree that the results are stunning.
The space is about 15,000 square meters and holds 60,000 people. Currently, this is the world’s second-largest basilica.
Over the years, Raphael and many other artists contributed to the project. Michelangelo took over in 1547 and designed the dome. Bernini and Giacomo della Porta handled much of the interior, which includes Michelangelo’s Pietà, his only signed piece.
The façade and portico is mostly attributed to Maderno, who took over after Michelangelo’s death. Maderno also lengthened the nave, turning the original Greek cross into a Latin cross.
Bernini’s enormous baroque baldachin dominates the church’s center. The bronze was looted – uh, recycled – from the Pantheon. The four-column structure sits over the high altar, which is over St. Peter’s grave.
The Vatican Grottoes contain the tombs of many popes as well as parts of the original 4th century columns.
Excavations underneath the basilica turned up some interesting things: part of the original church and St. Peter’s bones. The bones underwent over 30 years’ of forensic investigation before being deemed, in fact, those of St. Peter.
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