Introduction
Saint Peter’s Basilica is regarded as the world’s largest church in both volume and area which generates feelings of reverence in visitors. This site is regarded as the pilgrimage destination for the Roman Catholics, however, it is also visited by non-religious tourists. The greatest Italian architects took over one hundred years to build the spectacular structure of the St. Peter’s Basilica. The church is built across river Tiber on the Vatican hill from the center of Rome. The location is symbolic since the chief apostle Saint Paul was buried in this place in 64 AD having died as a martyr. The city of Rome completely surrounds the Vatican City with Ottaviano being the nearest subway station. The subway station leads straight to the Saint Peter’s Square. The buildings of the St. Peter’s Basilica is impressive. It houses the largest church the world's largest church and is truly magnificent. It has a long nave that is 211.5 meters (Six hundred and fifty-four feet including the narthex) (Doig, 2017). The dome of the basilica is over one hundred and thirty-four feet high (132.5 meters) and has a diameter measuring forty-two meters.
The Front Façade of St. Peter’s Basilica
Cardo Maderno created the basilica’s front façade and he changed the original design of Michelangelo slightly by increasing the width of the narthex by one hundred and fourteen meters. The massive columns were placed by Carlo Maderno against the walls and not in the front of the building as was intended by Michelangelo (Green, 2015). The facade is one hundred and forty-nine feet high (45.5 meters) and is crowned by the statues of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist as well as that of the apostles with the exception of St. Peter. Huge clocks that are supported by angels stand on either side. The clocks are decorated with the papal crest and the ornaments. They are the works of Giuseppe Valadier having been added in the 19 th century. There are also the church bells situated below the clock on the left.
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Figure 5. Front Facade
The Narthex
The narthex is regarded as the lobby area of the church and is accessed by five entrances. The equestrian statue of Emperor Constantine and that of Charles the Great created by Bernini are located in this area. Five doors provide access to the nave of St. Peter’s basilica from the narthex (Doig, 2017). Architect Filarete and sculptor Florentine constructed the central bronze door in the 15 th century. The door on the right known as Porta Santa is the Holy door and is opened once every twenty –five years.
Figure 6. St. Peter's Basilica Holy Door
Interior of the Building
The extensive size of the church becomes apparent once a person is inside the nave. The surface area of the basilica is 15,160 square meters which can accommodate about sixty thousand visitors. A large central dome as well as coffered barrel vault ceiling cover the interior of the building. The interior’ luxuriousness can bear witness to the 16 th and 17 th -century wealth of the Catholic Church (Finlayson, 2016). Large monuments decorate the interior and most of these were created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, considered the most prominent artist of the century. Immediate attention of the visitors is drawn by one of the primary creations of Lorenzo, the enormous baldachin with a height of twenty-six meters over the papal altar. The masterpiece of the Baroque is crafted from bronze which was derived from the pediment of the Pantheon and the ceiling. The marble columns originally decorated the old basilica's crypt and also inspired the design of the spiraling columns.
There is the burial crypt called the Confessio located in front of the papal altar. It indicates the speculated St. Peter's grave. A balustrade consisting of ninety-nine oil lamps made of bronze circle the confessio (Green, 2015). The confessio is situated right beneath the majestic dome. Colorful and impressive vaulting having sixteen ribs which are supported by four large pillars. The pillars and the dome meet at the triangular spaces that are decorated with mosaics which portray the Evangelists. The building receives light via the sixteen windows located below the cornice and the lantern.
The statues of Longinus, Andrew, Veronica and Helena which are four meters high are held by massive niches in the pillar. Bernini, assistants of the masters and the students were involved in the creation of the statues that stand on the pedestals. The height of the pedestals is almost similar to that of the statues. Loggias holding the relics related to the four saints are held by loggias located above the niches (Doig, 2017). The backdrop for St. Peters bronze statue is also provided by the pillar consisting of the statue of the Longinus. This work is attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio, a sculptor and architect in the 13 th century although it was initially regarded as late-classical work.
Saint Peter’s supposed chair, the Cathedra Petri decorates the apse of the Basilica. A throne made of bronze enclose the chair. The bronze has reliefs which are supported by four fathers of the church; the western church is supported by Augustine and Ambrose while the Eastern Church is represented by Johannes and Athanasius. A large window with an oval shape surrounded by many angels lies above the throne (Finlayson, 2016). Pope Urban III’s tomb is located on the right side of the throne and was created by Bernini. The tomb on the opposite side of Paul III is Giacomo Della Porta’s work. St Peter's basilica comprises of numerous other tombs as well as sepulchral monuments.
The notable monument is that of Alexander VIII also created by Bernini and it portrays a pope praying in front of a skeleton that holds an hourglass (Green, 2015). Statues together with the skeleton are a representation of the virtues. Initially, one of the figures was nude but Bernini was ordered by Pope Innocent VII to ensure it is covered by the use of marble drape. Pope Innocent VII’s tomb is the other notable monument and was sculpted by Antonio Del Polaiolo in 1498.
Only pope Innocent VII’s tomb was transferred from the fourth-century basilica. The Pieta , a sculpture made of marble is regarded as St. Peter’s basilica’s most popular monument and was created by Michelangelo in 1499-1500. The monument is situated on the right side of the first chapel and it is the only Michelangelo’s work bearing his signature after allegedly hearing that his work was attributed to another artist by people (Doig, 2017). The sculpture is protected by a bullet-proof glass screen that was put in place when a deranged visitor damaged it using a hammer.
Majority of the paintings are on display in the Vatican Pinacoteca and were considered replicates of the initial paintings created for the basilica. The oil paintings were ruined by the high humidity in the church that resulted in mold damage. Some paintings such as “The Transfiguration” were replaced by Mosaics. The basilica’s floor consists of patterns of colorful marble (Finlayson, 2016). A red porphyry disc is located next to the central door. Bronze markings are also present and they compare the church’s size with that of the others, for instance, Cologne Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. There is an entrance to Museo Storico-Artistico , also called the treasury or Tesoro in the front of left transept. Many historic crucifixes are on display such as the Crux Vaticana. Some objects taken from the old church are also present, for example, the tabernacle that was created by Donatello. One can also visit the Sacre Grotte also known as the Grotte Vaticana where there are a number of graves of over one hundred popes. The Grotte can be accessed via a stair situated next to the statue of Longinus. Its creation took place when the floor was built such that it was 3.2 meters above the old basilica.
Figure 6. The Nave
The Dome of the Basilica
The great dome rises above the baldachin and the altar. It is magnificently embellished with stucco and mosaic ornaments. Four structural piers with 120 meters in height from the ground to the lantern roof and a perimeter of 71 meters support the dome. Huge letters can be seen on a gold background (Finlayson, 2016). The letters from St. Longinus to St. Andrew state, “Hinc sacerdotii unitus exoritur,” which means that the unity of priesthood is born from this place. The letters from St. Veronica and St. Helen state, “Hinc una fides mundo refulgent” meaning that from this place a single faith shines the entire world.
The four Evangelists are depicted in medallions having 8.5 meters in diameter. These include Mark with a lion, John with the eagle, Luke with angel and Matthew with the ox. The medallions that portray the Evangelists are located in the four spandrels that connect the circular drum and the square piers (Finlayson, 2016). There are gigantic letters with a height of 2 meters on a gold background at around the base of the drum. Sixteen huge windows light the black letters that read, "Tue s Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam mean et tibi dabo claves rigni caelorum" The dome is divided into 16 ribs and segments. These are embellished using great figures on concentric levels ascending from above the windows.
The figures display many items that start from the bottom. For instance, it portrays the busts of the sixteen popes that were buried in the basilica. Also portrayed are the figures of Virgin Mary, Christ, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, and other apostles. There are also rectangular frames with figures of angels (Finlayson, 2016). A blue sky that is spangled with stars is present above the figures and a lantern rises above it. The lantern is eighteen meters long with a Latin inscription at its base that states, “To the glory of St. Peter, Pope Sixtus V in the year 1590 the fifth of his pontificate”
The base of the lantern act as the viewing platform and an unparalleled panorama over Rome can be enjoyed by a person in this area. There is the option of taking the elevator or the stairs. One can also walk unto the terrace of the roof at the foot of the dome from where the close-up view of the dome can be achieved. The galleries located on the inside gives a bird’s eye view of the church’s interior (Doig, 2017). A person is brought to the top of the dome through a narrow and spiraling staircase located between the dome’s outer and inner shells hence the walls are rather slanted.
Figure 7. The Dome
Figure 8. Detail of the Dome’s Ceiling
References
Doig, A. (2017). Liturgy and architecture: from the Early Church to the Middle Ages . Routledge.
Green, J. (2015). Popes Coloring Book . Courier Dover Publications.
FINLAYSON, C. Visualizing Emotion and Affect: Visitor Encounters at St. Peter’s Basilica. International Journal of Euro-Mediterranean Studies .
