Vatican City St. Peter’s Basilica
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It shares a 2 mile border with Italy and covers just over 100 acres, 1/8th the size of Central Park in NYC. At the center is St. Peter’s Basilica, erected over the tomb of St. Peter, which is the largest church in the world. It is the result of the combined genius of Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini and Maderno. The dome of the basilica was designed by Michelangelo, and is 400 feet tall and 138 feet in diameter.
The balcony where the Pope addresses the people in St. Peter’s Square.
There are a few doors to enter the Basilica. The door with the gold is open once every 25 years and walking through it is said to dissolve all your sins. Who’s with me in 2025??
Once inside, the glory of the place is breathtaking. The art in St. Peter’s itself is mostly mosaics, although they resemble paintings. In order to ensure that the artwork in the church would persevere, most “paintings” are actually mosaics.
The Pietà Is everything and more you can imagine. Breathtaking. It was carved out of a single block of Carrara marble by Michelangelo, who added his signature and the adjective “fiorentino” (Florentine) to the Madonna’s sash. it’s the only piece he ever signed. The twentyone year old artist worked for more than two years, from 1498 to 1500, to complete the statue.
The baldacchino, or the center altar of St. Peter’s, lies directly over where St. Peter, the first pope, is buried. It is 96 feet high, made from bronze mostly stripped from ancient Roman monuments such as the Pantheon, and the only person who is permitted to say mass at this altar is the pope.
