Peter's Square in Rome is also known as Piazza San Pietro. It was created in the seventeenth century by the architect Bernini and is a popular attraction in the Vatican. The architectural highlight of the square is St. Peter's Cathedral - one of the most recognizable basilicas in Rome.
Immediately after Alexander VII was elected the new Pope in April 1655, he hired the sculptor and architect Lorenzo Bernini to create a new square in front of the façade of St. Peter's Basilica. Following the wishes of Alexander, Bernini presented a project for a square in the form of an ellipse 240 meters wide and 196 meters long. The construction of the square began in 1965 and was completed 11 years later, in 1667. 
Colonnades of St. Peter's Square
St. Peter's Square is bounded on two sides by colonnades. According to Bernini's idea, they symbolize the arms of the church covering the world. The colonnades were built in 1660 and consist of 4 rows of columns 20 meters high and 1.6 meters wide. In total, there are 284 Doric columns and 88 pilasters. At the top of the colonnade are 140 statues, also created by Bernini and his students. They depict popes, martyrs, evangelists and other religious figures. 
To the left and right of the central obelisk of the square are circular marble plates that indicate the center of the elliptical square. Standing on any of these plates and looking at the colonnade, you will see only one row of columns instead of four. Bernini was not just a great sculptor and architect, he also knew geometry very well. On special occasions, including the election of a new pope and Easter, almost 400,000 people fill the spacious square. 
Obelisk and fountains
In the center of St. Peter's Square, there is an Egyptian obelisk 25.5 meters high, which, together with the pedestal, rises by as much as 41 meters. The obelisk was originally located in the Egyptian Heliopolis and created for the prefect of the city, Cornelius Gallus. In 37, Caligula decided to transport the obelisk to Rome on a specially designed platform, setting it at the base of the Circus of Nero in what is now the Vatican. 
In 1585, Pope Sixtus V decided to move the obelisk to a distance of 300 meters, to St. Peter's Cathedral, which was under construction at that time. Relocation was a daunting task, and even Michelangelo considered such a project impossible. But Sixtus stubbornly wanted to move the stele and attracted the architect Domenico Fontana to implement this idea. It took 900 workers and over a hundred horses, but Fontana did the job. It took 5 months, and on September 10, 1586, the Obelisk was erected in front of the basilica. 
In 1613, a fountain designed by Carlo Maderno was installed in St. Peter's Square. It was installed on the right side of the obelisk located in the center. To maintain symmetry, Bernini decided to install an identical copy of the fountain on the left side. The fountain was created in 1677 by the architect Carlo Fontana. 
Saint Paul's Cathedral
St. Peter's Square is the magnificent entry point to St. Peter's Basilica, which was built between 1506 and 1626 and borders the square on the west side. The basilica is the largest in the world. Inner part The cathedral is decorated with magnificent monuments, many of which were created by the great Bernini. 
Be sure to climb to the top of the basilica's imposing dome - designed by another great architect, Michelangelo. From here you have the most magnificent views of the square.
St. Peter's Cathedral, located in the Vatican (Basilica di San Pietro), is one of the most visited attractions in Rome. The history of the famous cathedral dates back to the 4th century: just imagine how many masterpieces of art are kept within its walls.
And don't let the huge line that usually accumulates in front of the cathedral scare you: you should definitely visit it. After all, this is the most significant Catholic church in the world!
And having risen to the dome, you can admire the gorgeous views of the capital of Italy.
History of St. Peter's Basilica
Initially, a Roman basilica was built on the site of the modern cathedral: its construction dates back to the 4th century. At that time, the empire was ruled by Constantine I (Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus).
The basilica was consecrated in honor of the Apostle Peter, who died as a martyr in 64-67 AD. - it was over his grave that the first altar was created.
Architects and construction of the cathedral
During its existence, the church has experienced more than one reconstruction, but by the 16th century it had already partially collapsed. Then, by decision of the pontiff Julius II (Iulius II), work began on the restoration of the ancient temple.
The architect was Donato Bramante, who planned to rebuild a small basilica in the form of a large cross with a huge dome.
However, the famous architect failed to complete the plan: he died in 1514. He was succeeded by Rafael Santi, who worked on the construction of the cathedral together with the assistant Fra Giocondo, and later with Giuliano da Sangallo.
After the death of Raphael construction work led by the architect Antonio da Sangallo (Antonio da Sangallo), who proposed to build a basilica in the form of a Latin cross. He also failed to turn his plan into reality.
When da Sangallo died (in 1546), Pope Paul III appointed Michelangelo as chief architect: he decided to return to Bramante's original architectural plan.
Michelangelo carried out colossal work, but Giacomo Della Porta was already involved in the completion of the construction of the temple - after the death of Michelangelo in 1564.
It was at that time that decorative fragments of the proto-baroque appeared in the cathedral. The famous architect, together with Domenico Fontana, carried out work on the construction of the dome and the main vault of the cathedral.
Opening of the cathedral and subsequent reconstruction
The opening of St. Peter's Basilica took place in 1590, when Pope Sixtus V celebrated the first Mass there. However, work on the external design of the temple continued: a colonnade was erected, including 36 columns, a massive cross over the dome and a golden lantern.
During the coming to power of Pope Paul V (Paulus V), it was decided to lengthen part of the building, as well as to attach the side aisles - as a result, the cathedral received the shape of a Latin cross. The alterations to the temple were led by Carlo Maderno in the 17th century.
Photo: Vladimir Mucibabic / Shutterstock.com
St. Peter's Square
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini was directly involved in the construction of the square in front of the cathedral (Piazza San Petro) from 1656 to 1667.
As planned, the large-scale square was supposed to accommodate a huge number of believers who wanted to receive the blessing of the pope or participate in religious events.
Today, up to 400 thousand people can be here at the same time.
The square is shaped like an oval and is surrounded by two galleries of columns: in total there are 284 Doric columns, as well as 80 pillars.
Directly on the attic, with which the colonnade is crowned, there are 140 sculptures of saints. When viewed from above, the area resembles a key.
Architecture
When you look at St. Peter's Basilica, first of all, its scale impresses. The building, together with the dome, reaches a height of about 132 meters, and the total area is 23 thousand square meters. m. The baroque facade is 48 meters high and 118 meters wide.
Facade
The facade of the cathedral is decorated with classical columns, behind which there are five portals. These are the Gates of Good and Evil (Porta del Bene del Male), the Gates of Death (Porta della Morte), the Gates of Filaret (Porta del Filarete), the Holy Gates (Porta Santa) and the Gates of the Sacraments (Porta dei Sacramenti).
The Gates of Death have a very interesting appearance: they were created in the 20th century by the master Giacomo Manzu.
Above the columns is an attic with sculptures - a statue of Christ, 11 apostles and John the Baptist. The length of the main statue reaches 5 meters.
The central portal of the temple is framed by equestrian statues of Emperor Constantine, made in 1670 by Bernini, and Charlemagne, created in the 18th century by Augustino Cornacchini.
In addition, on the facade of the building you can admire the magnificent clock of the 18th century by Giuseppe Valadier (Giuseppe Veledier), as well as the fresco "Navicella" (Navicella degli Apostoli), made in the 13th century by Giotto di Bondone (Giotto di Bondone).
What to see inside
Upon entering the cathedral, one is struck by a huge interior space, richly decorated with decorative elements. Just imagine: the height of the arched vaults separating the central nave from the two side ones is 23 meters high and 13 meters wide.
Thanks to this design, a feeling of infinite depth of space is created - the total area is about 2500 square meters. m.
Pay attention to the amazing marble floors - some elements are partially preserved from the original basilica.
The interior decoration of the cathedral was mainly done by Gian Lorenzo Bernini - it was he who created the famous statue of the Roman centurion Longinus. By the way, the original spearhead of a centurion is kept in the cathedral.
Chair
The main masterpiece of Bernini in the cathedral is a huge canopy, at the base of which there are four pillars - the kevorium.
Directly above the canopy is a pulpit by the same master, created in honor of St. Peter. It includes the chair of St. Peter, supported by statues of saints - above them the symbol of the Holy Spirit hovers.
Photo: Goran Bogicevic / Shutterstock.com
Photo: Anton Balazh / Shutterstock.com
On the right side of the pulpit is the tomb of Pope Urban VIII (also made by Bernini), and on the left side is the tomb of Paul III, which was created by Guglielmo della Porta in the 16th century.
Statue of Saint Peter
If you go through the entire gallery, then in the last arch you will see a bronze statue of St. Peter, which many believers come to bow to. A queue usually gathers near the statue, but people pass quite quickly.
It is believed that you need to touch her and pray - then the prayers will be heard. In the left hand of St. Peter are the keys to paradise.
central part
Walk along the central nave of the temple: in the niches there are statues of saints Helena Sophia Barat, Teresa, Vincenzo de Paoli, John Bosco, Philip Neri, John, John Battista de la Sale.
In the very center of the temple, you can see numerous mosaic paintings created according to Domenichino's sketches.
Pay attention to the memorial to Pius VII, which was made by Bertel Thorvaldsen (Bertel Thorvaldsen). Here are the tombs of the pontiffs and exquisitely decorated chapels.
Of greatest interest is the Gregorian Chapel (Gregoriana Capella).
right nave
The central sculptural group in the right nave - "Pieta" - was made in 1499 by Michelangelo himself. The name of the masterpiece is translated as "Lamentation of Christ."
Photo: Vitaly Minko / Shutterstock.com
Next to it is a monument to the pontiff Leo XII, created in the 19th century by Giuseppe de Fabrisa, as well as a monument to Princess Christina by Carl Fontana (17th century).
Nearby is the tomb of Margravine Mathilde of Canossa, one of Bernini's masterpieces. This was the first woman buried in St. Peter's Basilica.
In the small Chapel of the Crucifixion, there is a very beautiful wooden crucifix, believed to have been made by Pietro Cavallini in the 13th century.
Chapel of Saint Sebastian
Amazing mosaics are located in the Chapel of St. Sebastian (Capelle di San Sebastiano) - the work of the master Pier Paolo Cristofari (Pier Paolo Cristofari).
By the way, the sketches of the mosaics belong to Domenichino. Looking at the vault, you can admire the amazing mosaics made by Pietro da Cortona (Pietro da Cortona).
Chapel of the Holy Communion
The Chapel of the Holy Communion (Capella del Santissimo Sacramento) was decorated by Carlo Maderno and Francesco Borromini. Particular attention in the chapel is attracted by an amazing decorative lattice.
Nearby is the gravestone of Gregory III - the bas-relief decorating it symbolizes the reform that the Pope carried out. It was he who introduced the new (Gregorian) calendar.
Left nave
In the left nave, you can admire the 19th-century Stuart memorial by Antonio Canova. Also worthy of admiration are the magnificently decorated 18th-century tomb of Maria Clementina Sobeski by Pietro Bracci and the tomb of Pope Innocent VIII by the 15th-century master Antonio Pollaiolo.
Look at the tomb of Alexander VII (Alexander VII) - it was decorated by Bernini himself. The bronze and marble ensemble includes a sculpture of a praying pontiff surrounded by statues of Truth, Mercy, Prudence and Justice. And in the foreground is a skeleton symbolizing death: in his hands you can see an hourglass.
Chapel of the Epiphany
Walking along the left nave, pay attention to the Epiphany Chapel (Capella del Battesimo) - it was designed by Carlo Fontana, and Baciccio was engaged in its mosaic design.
Dome
The grandiose dome of St. Peter's Basilica, seen from afar, weighs as much as 14,000 tons. Its inner diameter is about 41 meters and its height is about 117 meters.
The dome was created according to the architectural plan of Michelangelo himself: initially, the structure had to have the diameter of an ideal ball.
Photo: Daniel M. Silva / Shutterstock.com
The construction of the dome was carried out by Giacomo della Porta - he made the necessary changes to the structure to ensure its stability. However, by the 18th century, the building began to collapse: massive chains helped to save the dome - they pulled the vault.
There are 16 windows in the dome, which are divided by double columns, and inside the structure is supported by four massive columns. While in the cathedral, you can admire the amazing mosaics by Giovanni De Vecchi.
How to get to St. Peter's Basilica
The cathedral is located on Piazza San Pietro. How to get there:
- by metro (line A) with a stop at San Pietro or Ottaviano: the exit from the first station is closer to the square, and from the second - closer to the museums;
- on buses No. 11, 23, 32, 81, 590, 982 - you need to get off at the Risorgimento stop;
- if you plan to immediately go to St. Peter's Basilica and museums upon arrival at Termini station, then buses No. 40 and 64 will do;
- by tram number 19, which stops near the cathedral on San Pietro.
Opening hours
Peter's Basilica in Rome can be visited:
- from October 1 to March 31 - from 7.00 to 18.30;
- from April 1 to September 30 - from 7.00 to 19.00.
You can climb the dome every day:
- from October 1 to March 31 - from 7.30 to 17.00;
- from April 1 to September 30 - from 7.30 to 18.00.
Ticket price
The cathedral itself is free to enter (as of 2020).
The cost of climbing the dome depends on how many steps you are willing to climb:
- Option 1: You take the elevator and go up 320 steps. Ticket price - 10 Euro.
- The second option: you climb on foot, passing 551 steps. Ticket price - 8 Euro.
At the same time, please note that in the upper part the width of the passage is only 50 cm - it is not very comfortable to climb. In total, the ascent and descent will take you about 1 hour.
Information on the cost of visiting and opening hours may change - check on the official website www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_pietro/it/cupola/orari.htm
The main cathedral of the Catholic world is located in Rome. This is the spiritual center of the largest of the Christian denominations and the seat of the Pope. Saint Peter plays a special role in Christianity, he is called the supreme Apostle. According to the Gospel, the name was given to him by Christ himself. Peter means "stone".
The apostle preached in Palestine, and towards the end of his life, about 64 AD. went to Rome. During the persecution of Christians, the apostle was executed by order of the emperor Nero. In 326, on the site of the alleged grave of St. Peter's Basilica was built. The special role of the Apostle Peter for Catholics is connected with the fact that they consider him the first bishop of Rome, which means that the popes of Rome lead a direct chain of succession from him.
St. Peter is no less important to Orthodox and other Christians. Among the saints revered by the Orthodox, Popes Leo the Great, Gregory the Dialogist, the Apostles Simon the Zealot and Judas Thaddeus, the martyrs Prokes and Martin are buried in the Cathedral. There is also a particle of the Life-Giving Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.
Basilica of St. Peter of the time of Emperor Constantine lasted more than 1000 years. By the middle of the 15th century. its structures became very dilapidated and required major repairs. The size of the basilica no longer corresponded to the main church of Catholicism. Therefore, in 1452, Pope Nicholas V ordered to begin the reconstruction of the building. However, the work remained unfinished due to the imminent death of the pope in 1455.
The question of rebuilding the basilica was postponed for another 50 years.
Architects and their contribution to construction
Pope Julius II remains in history as one of the most warlike. He almost constantly fought for the expansion of the Papal States: he successfully fought with Venice, captured Perugia and Bologna. Nevertheless, it was he who initiated the construction of a new Cathedral.
Donato Bramante
In the spring of 1506, the pope appointed Donato Bramante (1451–1514), who had arrived from Milan a few years earlier, as the chief architect of the future temple. This master worked in the tradition of the Florentine Renaissance and built 2 very beautiful churches in Milan. Bramante wanted to surpass the Florence Cathedral, built in 1436 by the architect Brunelleschi, with a dome diameter of 42 m and a height of over 90 m.
The architect planned to build the Cathedral in the form of a Greek cross, that is, the same in length and width. For the dome, he wanted to use the method that the ancient masters once used when building the Pantheon - adding volcanic pumice and tuff to the concrete to make it lighter. Bramante rediscovered this technology.
Construction began soon after. However, in 1513 Pope Julius II died, and the following year the 70-year-old architect also passed away. By the time of his death, it had been erected most of walls of the future building, arches and some chapels were built.
Rafael Santi
The famous painter moved to Rome in 1508 when he was 25 years old. The main work of Raphael was the painting of temples and the creation of frescoes in the palaces of the Vatican. He also painted the Sistine Chapel.
Raphael left his mark in architecture. He completed the Vatican courtyard with loggias begun by Bramante. From 1514 he became the chief architect of the future Cathedral. Raphael changed the project: instead of a Greek cross, he proposed a traditional Latin one, making the temple more elongated in length.
However, during the reign of Pope Leo X, construction did not progress much. The Medici pope led a lavish lifestyle: the papal curia introduced new taxes, but there was not enough money to build a cathedral.
Baldasare Peruzzi and Antonio da Sangallo
After Raphael, Baldasare Peruzzi was involved in the construction. But the work was interrupted in 1527 by the sack of Rome and the subsequent restoration of the city. The architect left Rome for a while, and after returning in 1534, he lived only 2 years. In 1538 Antonio da Sangallo took charge of the work. The concept of the Cathedral was changed again. Da Sangallo erected the southern and eastern parts of the building.
Michelangelo Buonarroti
In 1546, Michelangelo, who at that time was 72 years old, was given the leadership of the construction site. Michelangelo did not want to build the Cathedral, as this prevented him from returning to his native Florence.
He returned to the original design of Donato Bramante in the form of a Greek cross and partially dismantled the structures erected by his predecessor. Michelangelo strengthened the foundation of the Cathedral, increased the thickness of the bearing columns. Construction progressed rapidly, and towards the end of Buonarotti's life, the walls and drum of the dome were erected.
Giacomo della Porta
After the death of the master in 1564, the direction of the work was transferred to his student, Giacomo della Porta. At the first stages, he was assisted by another student of Michelangelo, Giacomo da Vignola, who erected two small domes of the Cathedral. In 1590 della Porta completed the construction of the main dome. Michelangelo's project was slightly modified - the building was slightly elongated and took on an oval shape.
Della Porta led the construction for almost 40 years, until his death. And in fact the cathedral was built under him. However, disputes about the shape of the building - in the form of a Greek or Roman cross - did not end there.
Carlo Maderna
In 1605, Pope Paul V of the Borghese clan came to power in Rome. In the very first year of his reign, the reconstruction of the already almost finished building was begun. Carlo Maderna (1556–1629), a native of Switzerland, was appointed chief architect. By this time, Maderna had already built several famous churches in Rome, although the construction of fountains is considered his main occupation.
Pope Paul V instructed the architect to demolish the already finished facade and rebuild the temple in the form of a Latin cross. Thus, after a century of struggle between these concepts, the Latin cross finally prevailed. The part of the temple oriented to the east was lengthened. Maderna added a basilica to the main part and made it completely new facade.
St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome took its final form in 1626. After the reconstruction, the dome of the Cathedral became almost invisible from the square. On the other hand, the grandiose façade, built by Maderna, splendidly decorated the building. Carlo Maderna kept the style set by Donato Bramante and the great Michelangelo.
For convenience, the architects involved in the creation of the Cathedral are listed in the table:
| Architect | Years of life | Years of participation in the construction of the Cathedral | Project Features | What is done |
| Donato Bramante | 1451–1514 | 1506–1514 | Greek cross | The foundation and most of the walls were built |
| Rafael Santi | 1483–1520 | 1514–1520 | latin cross | Construction hardly progressed. |
| Baldasare Peruzzi | 1481–1536 | 1520–1527 and 1534–1536 | Greek cross | |
| Antonio da Sangallo (Junior) | 1484–1546 | 1539–1546 | latin cross | The southern and eastern branches of the building were erected |
| Michelangelo Buonarroti | 1488–1564 | 1546–1564 | Greek cross | Load-bearing structures, walls and dome drum |
| Giacomo della Porta | 1533–1602 | 1564–1602 | Greek cross | Completed Michelangelo's project, completed the dome |
| Carlo Maderna | 1556–1629 | 1605–1626 | latin cross | He lengthened the eastern part by completing the basilica. Made a new facade |
Architecture
The creation of the architectural complex did not end there. Ahead was the construction of the square, the decoration of interiors and facades.
Square
Peter's Basilica in Rome today is hard to imagine without a square. The oval square, framed by columns, forms a single whole with the cathedral. From above, the square and the cathedral look like a giant key together. This is a symbol of St. Peter, who, according to Christian tradition, is considered the keeper of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the center of the square there is an obelisk brought from the Egyptian Heliopolis in the 1st century BC. n. e. The obelisk casts a shadow in such a way that time can be determined from it. In fact, the area is a giant sundial, but they can only be seen from the height of the dome of the Cathedral.
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome has a beautiful square. This is the most visited place in Rome. The design of the colonnade framing the square was designed by Giovanni Bernini. After his name, the building, completed in 1667, is sometimes called Bernini's colonnade. It consists of four rows of columns, above which statues of 140 saints rise. Right behind the colonnade today is the border of the state of the Vatican. This formal border is guarded by a guard of honor of the Swiss Guards.
On both sides of the obelisk, the square is decorated with fountains by Bernini and Maderno.
The area of the cathedral has the shape of an oval, elongated parallel to the facade of the temple - 340 m long and 240 wide. Due to its size, the area seems spacious, even when there are many tourists on it. Catholic believers come here to receive a blessing from the Pope. From time to time he goes to the balcony of St. Peter's Cathedral and overshadows the faithful with the sign of the cross.
The part of the square adjacent to the Cathedral is occupied by rows of benches - festive services are held here.
Facade
The faithful entering the Cathedral are greeted by the statues of the apostles, John the Baptist and Christ, standing on top of the facade . They can be seen from afar - the height of the statues is 5.65 m. Among the apostles there is no Peter, because his sculptural image is in front of the entrance to the Cathedral.
On the sides of the facade, next to the figures of the apostles, there are two huge clocks - Italian and French. The French show only the hour, they have one hand - the hour. These watches are no different. They put a French clock because the popes lived in France for a long time, in Avignon - the period of the so-called "Avignon captivity".
Center
In the center of the facade is the Loggia of the Blessing - the place from where the Pope blesses the faithful. This most beautiful of the 9 balconies on the facade is located above the central gate. By tradition, the pope pronounces the words of blessing "Urbi et Orbi" - to the city and the world. From here, for the first time, they report the election of a new pope.
Portals
Through the portico of the Cathedral, five gates, or portals, lead inside the building:
Dome
The dome of the Cathedral, together with the cross, has a height of 136.6 m. Its internal height is 119 m. The diameter inside is 41.5 m. Inside the cross are caskets with valuable Christian relics.
The dome consists of inner and outer, between them there is an empty space and a staircase.
The dome of the Cathedral is divided into 16 sectors.
With his inside there are mosaics with images:
- 16 popes;
- Christ, Mother of God and apostles;
- angels holding symbols of the Passion of Christ;
- six-winged cherubs;
- winged angels;
- gilded cherubs.
You can climb the dome of the Cathedral - by stairs or by elevator. The elevator ride will cost 10 euros, while the stairs - 8 euros. The elevator lifts only to the middle, to the observation platform on the roof. The last section of the path inside the dome will still have to be walked - along a narrow spiral staircase.
According to many, it is from the dome of the Cathedral that the best views of Rome open. From here you can see St. Peter's Square, the Tiber River, the Palazzo Venezia, the palaces and parks of the Vatican. Behind the river, in a haze, you can see the city center with a picturesque heap of historical buildings. Experienced tourists are advised to climb in the morning, when the queue for the rise is not so long.
Interior and interior decoration
The front of the Cathedral is a classic three-aisled basilica. The spacious central nave is full of free echoing space. The right and left naves - not so high, but more comfortable - contain chapels with sculptures, tombstones and mosaics. Here are the outstanding creations of the masters of the Renaissance.
right nave
The north, or right nave, of the Cathedral stretches from the main facade to the Papal altar. From the inside, on the left side, the nave is bounded by columns, in the niches of which there are sculptural compositions and paintings.
On the right side of the nave are chapels, or chapels dedicated to various saints, sacraments or events of religious history.
Pieta
If you turn right from the entrance to the Cathedral, you can see the Virgin Mary, who holds the lifeless Christ in her arms. This Pieta is a sculpture by Michelangelo, created by him long before the ingenious sculptor became the architect of the Cathedral. "Pieta" means "regret, mourning."
Mary is depicted at the moment when the crucified Jesus was taken down from the Cross. There is no triumph over death yet, only sadness.
Michelangelo created this sculpture at the age of 25. When asked why Madonna was so young, he replied that she had the face of his mother, who died in childbirth of her younger brother... In 1972, an attacker attacked the statue with a hammer in his hands and struck it several times. The statue was restored, but after this event, bulletproof glass was installed next to it.
Monument to Pontiff Leo XII
Peter's Basilica in Rome, like many Catholic churches, is also a tomb. Most of the popes are buried in the necropolis under the Cathedral. The gravestones of some of them, the most prominent, are exhibited in the Cathedral. And only in some cases, when the popes are canonized as saints, are the bodies themselves here.
So in the Cathedral are the mummified remains of John 23, the “Good Pope”, under whom the Second Vatican Council took place. The monument to Leo XII (1760–1829) stands in the right nave near the entrance. The pope is depicted giving a blessing, and in the background are the figures of four cardinals, who seem to be peeking out from behind his back.
It is believed that Leo XII was elected on the verge of his death and said "by choosing me, you are choosing a dead man." Therefore, each of these cardinals hoped in turn to become pope. However, the policy of Leo XII turned out to be confident and tough, he actively fought against revolutionary sentiments and secret societies. None of the cardinals depicted here could become pope.
And he became the successor of Leo XII, Cardinal Castiglione. Under the gravestone is a lattice door through which you can enter the Relic Chapel. This door is usually closed. There is an ancient wooden crucifix of the 13th century, created by Pitero Cavallini.
Chapel of Saint Sebastian
The altar is dedicated to the Christian martyr Sebastian, who lived in Rome in the 3rd century. AD He was executed during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian in 288. The plot, where Sebastian tied to a pole is pierced with arrows, has become widespread in art. The author of the mosaic is Pietro Paolo Cristofari.
Today, the tomb of Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) is installed in this chapel. The pope, whose name in the world was Karol Wojtyla, was a Pole by origin, he held this post from 1978 to 2005. It was a time of reform in the Catholic Church. John Paul II made contacts with other confessions, spoke to Muslims, Jews, visited mosques.
Under him, dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox was resumed. John Paul II consistently advocated for peace, condemning the war in the Persian Gulf (1990) and in Iraq (2003). He brought repentance on behalf of the Catholic Church for the mistakes of past centuries - the crusades, the inquisition, church schisms and incorrect dogmas. Under him, Galileo Galilei was rehabilitated and Joan of Arc was canonized.
Tomb of Margravine Mathilde of Canossa
Matilda of Tuscany, also known as Matilda of Canossa, lived in the second half of the 11th century. and was a Countess of Tuscany, in Northern Italy. An episode known as "Heinrich's journey to Canossa" is associated with it. Pope Gregory VII waged war with King Henry IV. Military operations were not in favor of the pope, so Gregory was forced to take refuge in the castle of the countess.
But the pope excommunicated his enemy from the church, and thanks to the diplomatic efforts of Matilda, the king was forced to ask his forgiveness. In January 1077, Henry went barefoot to the pope in Canossa. This episode was of great importance for establishing the authority of the popes in medieval Europe.
Matilda of Tuscany bequeathed all her possessions and lands to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1634, at the direction of Pope Urban VIII, her body was transferred to the newly built Cathedral. The gravestone was created by Giovanni Bernini with his students. The bas-relief of the tombstone depicts Henry IV kneeling before Pope Gregory VII.
Chapel of the Holy Communion
The chapel, or chapel of the Holy Communion, is located towards the end of the right nave. In the center of it is a tabernacle by Bernini (1674), made of gilded bronze. It is made in the form of the Tempieto rotunda, which was built by Bramante in 1502 on the Roman hill of Yatikul. Two angels are kneeling next to the rotunda.
In the background is the New Testament Trinity painting by Pietro de Cartona.
This is the only oil painting in the Cathedral. The chapel is closed to tourists: only Catholic believers can enter here for prayer. Next to the chapel, in a niche, you can see a monument to Pope Gregory XIII, who reformed the calendar. The bas-relief on the headstone commemorates this event.
Left nave
The southern, or left nave, of the Cathedral is located symmetrically to the right one and repeats it in many ways. It is separated from the central nave by rows of columns with niches containing outstanding works of art. On the opposite side, here, as in the right nave, are the tombstones of the popes and many altars.
Tomb of Alexander VII (lat. Alexander VII)
Tombstone of Pope Alexander VII (1599-1667) by Giovanni Bernini. The work was completed in 1678, when the master was 80 years old. The Pope is depicted standing on a pedestal in prayer. At his feet are 4 thoughtful female figures, they symbolize Justice, Prudence, Mercy and Truth.
The figures seem to hold the edges of the red canopy, from under which Death breaks out - a skeleton showing an hourglass. The composition is full of dynamism and dramatic tension.
The image of death seems strange and creepy, but in those days it was often done on tombstones. It is known that Pope Alexander VII himself kept a skull on his desk and a coffin in his bedroom. It reminded him of the transience of life.
Chapel of the Epiphany (Baptistery)
Baptistery or baptismal - in early Christianity, a place for baptism, with a font or a small reservoir. In this case, it is a font by Carlo Fontana (1695), made of red Egyptian porphyry. It is made from a sarcophagus, which was once the tomb of Emperor Otto.
The lid on the font is made of gilded bronze and is decorated with figures of angels. Above the font is a mosaic copy of the painting "The Baptism of Jesus Christ."
Tomb of St. Peter (Kivory)
The cathedral in the central part has a towering tombstone of St. Peter, covered with a huge bronze canopy - ciborium. The tradition of installing ciboria on the graves comes from ancient rome where they were placed to protect the tombstones from the weather. The height of the ciborium is more than 28 m, the massive canopy rests on 4 twisted bronze pillars.
The original design of the ciborium belongs to Carlo Maderna, but the architect did not have time to bring the idea to life. The creation of the ciborium from 1624 to 1631. year studied by Giovanni Bernini. For work, special foundry workshops were used near St. Peter. The canopy was opened and consecrated on June 28, 1633.
The 20-meter columns are decorated with vines, bees and cherubs. Above each of the columns is a figure of an angel measuring more than 3 m.
Catholics have always believed that the tomb of St. Petra is located under the Cathedral, but for a long time its location was not precisely established. Only in the 20th century during excavations under the cathedral building, ancient burials were discovered, many of which date back to the pre-Christian period.
Near one of them they found the inscription "Peter is here." The Catholic Church officially recognized the grave in 1968, although the discovery is disputed by many historians.
Statue of Saint Peter
In the final arch of the central nave there is a bronze statue of St. Peter, who sits on the throne and blesses the faithful, in his left hand he holds the keys to paradise. Behind the back of the apostle is a mosaic, which is very similar to cloth.
There is a legend that the statue fulfills the wishes of believers if you touch the foot of the apostle. Therefore, the feet of St. Petra are polished to a shine by the palms of pilgrims. Every year on June 29, on the day of the memory of the Apostle Peter, the statue is dressed up in priestly vestments, and it seems that a living person is sitting on the throne.
Excursions
The most popular excursion is a visit to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, after which tourists are shown the Cathedral. It costs 35–40 euros. On certain days there are excursions in Russian, but it is better to check on the Vatican website.
You can also visit St. Peter's Cathedral with a guide separately - such excursions cost 15-20 euros, they are conducted by various travel agencies and individual guides. Guided tours provide an opportunity to visit the Cathedral without a queue.
Tickets and opening hours
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is open from April to September from 7 am to 7 pm. From October to March it closes at 6.30 pm. The ascent to the dome is open from 8 am to 6 pm in summer and from 8 am to 5 pm in winter. On Wednesdays, the Cathedral is closed until 13:00, at which time papal receptions are held.
Visiting the Cathedral is free.
If you visit the Vatican Museums first, you can get into the Cathedral without a queue. It is better to buy a ticket to museums in advance, via the Internet. The entrance for climbing the dome is located to the right of the entrance to the Cathedral, it is indicated by the inscription la Cupola.
Visiting Rules
Punching and cutting objects, large bags and backpacks cannot be brought into the Cathedral. As in most Catholic churches, visitors must cover their elbows and knees. You can not come in short skirts, shorts, T-shirts, sleeveless dresses. Men must visit the Cathedral without a headdress.
There are several facts that are of interest to tourists:
How to get there
You can get to St. Peter's Square on foot from the Ottaviano metro station (line A), go straight along Ottaviano street for about 10 minutes. You can walk to the ticket office of the Vatican Museums from the same metro or from the Cipro station - about 5 minutes.
Even closer to the Cathedral Square, buses arrive along Via di Porta Cavaligeri. Routes 34, 46, 64, 98, 881, 916 go here. The most beautiful route is to walk along Via Dela Conchillazione from the Tiber River. Buses 23, 34, 40, 982 go here.
Best time to visit
What time of the year is best to visit St. Peter's Basilica depends on personal preferences. In summer, a lot of tourists come to Rome and the weather is hot. The least number of visitors is in winter, but at this time it often rains. Therefore, you can choose to visit in spring or autumn. From the days of the week experienced tourists Suggest Tuesday or Thursday.
On Wednesday, the square is crowded, but on this day you can see the Pope. On Sunday, there are few people, but the Vatican Museums are closed. The best time to visit is the morning hours, when there are still few tourists, and the rising sun illuminates the Cathedral from the side of the square.
Article formatting: Lozinsky Oleg
Video of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome
Excursion to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome:
Saint Paul's Cathedral(Italian Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano) is a Catholic cathedral on the territory of the sovereign state of the Vatican. One of the four patriarchal basilicas in Rome and the ceremonial center of the Roman Catholic Church.
Until 1990, St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome was the largest Christian cathedral in the world, in 1990 it was surpassed by the cathedral in Yamoussoukro, the capital of the African state of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
The dimensions of St. Peter's Cathedral are simply amazing. It occupies an area of 22067 sq.m. The height of the cathedral 138 m, length without portico - 186.36 m, and with a portico - 211.5 m. Architectural style: rebirth And baroque.
Once upon a time, in the place where St. Peter's Cathedral now stands, there were gardens of the Circus of Nero (by the way, an obelisk from Heliopolis remained from it, which still stands on St. Peter's Square).
In the circus arena during Nero martyred Christians. In the year 67, after the judgment seat, he was brought here and apostle peter. Peter asked that his execution not be likened to that of Christ. Then he was crucified upside down. St. Clement, then Bishop of Rome, with the faithful disciples of the apostle, removed his body from the cross and buried it in a nearby grotto.
The first basilica was built in 324 during the reign of the first Christian Emperor Constantine, and the remains of St. Peter were transferred there. In the first council in 800, Pope Leo III crowned Karla Great Emperor of the West.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the basilica that had already existed for eleven centuries threatened to collapse, and under Nicholas V they began to expand and rebuild it.
Julius II radically resolved this issue, ordering the construction of a huge new cathedral on the site of the ancient basilica, which was supposed to overshadow both pagan temples and the existing Christian churches, thereby contributing to the strengthening of the papal state and the spread of the influence of Catholicism.
Almost all major Italian architects took turns participating in the design and construction of St. Peter's Cathedral. In 1506, the architect's project was approved Donato Bramante, in accordance with which they began to erect a centric structure in the form of a Greek cross (with equal sides).
After the death of Bramante, the construction was headed by Raphael, returning to the traditional form of the Latin cross (with an elongated fourth side), then Baldassare Peruzzi, which stopped at the centric structure, and Antonio da Sangallo who chose the basilic form.
Finally, in 1546, the management of the work was entrusted Michelangelo. He returned to the idea of a central dome structure, but his project included the creation of a multi-columned entrance portico on the east side (in the ancient basilicas of Rome, as in ancient temples, the entrance was from the east, not the west side). Michelangelo made all the supporting structures more massive and singled out the main space. He erected the drum of the central dome, but the dome itself was completed after his death (1564). Giacomo della Porta, giving it a more elongated shape.
Of the four small domes envisaged by the Michelangelo project, the architect Vignola raised only two. To the greatest extent, architectural forms, in the form in which they were conceived by Michelangelo, have been preserved from the altar, the western side.
But the story didn't end there. At the beginning of the XVII century. by order of Paul V architect Carlo Maderno extended the eastern branch of the cross - attached a three-nave basilica part to the centric building, thus returning to the form of a Latin cross, and built a facade.
As a result, the dome turned out to be hidden by the façade, lost its dominant significance and is perceived only from a distance, from Via della Concigliazione. Finally, November 18, 1626, on the 1300th anniversary of the first basilica, Pope Urban VIII consecrated the new cathedral.
An area was needed that would accommodate a large number of believers flocking to the cathedral to receive a papal blessing or take part in religious festivities. This task was completed Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini, who created in 1656-1667. the square in front of the cathedral is one of the most outstanding works of world urban planning practice.
The height of the facade built architect Maderno, 45 m, width - 115 m. The attic of the facade is crowned by huge, tall 5.65 m, statues of Christ, John the Baptist and eleven apostles (except the apostle Peter). The inscription on the facade: "IN HONOREM PRINCIPIS APOST PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS PONT MAX AN MDCXII PONT VII" (Pont Paul V Borghese, the Roman pontiff in the year 1612, the seventh year of his pontificate, erected in honor of the prince of the apostles).
From the portico, five portals lead to the cathedral. The doors of the central portal were made in the middle of the 15th century. and come from the old basilica. The middle of the nine balconies on the façade is called the Loggia of the Blessing. It is from here that the Pope of Rome addresses the numerous believers who gather in St. Peter's Square with a blessing "Urbi et Orbi" - "To the City and the World".
On the plan of the cathedral, the numbers indicate:
1. Mosaic Giotto "Navichella".
2. Portico.3. Equestrian statue of Charlemagne.
4. Gates of death.
5. Gates of Good and Evil.
6.Filaret's door.
7. Door of the Sacraments.
8. Holy door.
9. Inner courtyard of St. Gregory the Illuminator (elevator for the dome).
10. Equestrian statue of Constantine the Great.
11. Nave.
12. Baptistery (baptismal font made from a sarcophagus).
13.Monument of Maria Sobieska.
14. Tomb of the Stuarts.
15. Gravestone of Pope Benedict XV.
16.Capella della Presentatione (gifts).
17. Gravestone of Pope John XXIII.
18. Gravestone of Pope Pius X.
19. Gravestone of Pope Innocent VIII.
20.Capella Corot (chapel of the choir).
21. Altar of the Immaculate Conception.
22. Gravestone of Pope Leo XI (
23. Gravestone of Pope Innocent XI
24. Altar "Transfiguration" (the last painting by Raphael).
25. Clementine Chapel.
26.Altar of Pope Pius VII.
27. Altar of Pope Gregory the Great.
28. Entrance to the sacristy.
29. Gravestone of Pope Pius VII.
30. Altar of Lies.
31. The figure of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (the old entrance to the grottoes).
32. Bronze statue of St. Peter (
33. The figure of the centurion Longinus (the old entrance to the grottoes).
34. The figure of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena.
35. Figure of St. Veronica.
36. Canopy (
37. "Confessional" (tomb of St. Peter).
38. Dome.
39. Left transpet (mass is served here daily).
40. Altar of the Crucifixion of St. Peter.
41. Altar of St. Joseph.
42. Altar of St. Thomas.
43. Gravestone of Pope Alexander VII.
44.Altar of the Sacred Heart.
45. Chapel Column.
46.Altar of Our Lady Column.
47. Bas-relief (
48. Gravestone of Pope Alexander VIII
49. Altar of St. Peter for the Healing of the Lame.
50. Tribune-Altar of the pulpit.
51.Tombstone of Pope Paul III(
52. Chair of St. Peter.
53. Gravestone of Pope Urban VIII (
54. Gravestone of Pope Clement X (
55.Altar of St. Peter of the Tabitha raising.
56. Altar of St. Petronilla.
57. Chapel of the Archangel Michael.
58. Navicella altar
59.Tombstone of Pope Clement XIII(
60. Right Transept.
61. Altar of St. Erasmus.
62. Altar of Saints and St. Martinian.
63. Altar of St. Wenceslas.
64. Altar of St. Basil.
65. Gravestone of Pope Benedict XIV
66. Altar of St. Jerome (Body of Pope John XXIII).
67. Chapel of San Gregorio.
68. Icon "Madonna del Socorso".
69. Gravestone of Pope Gregory XVI.
70. Gravestone of Pope Gregory XIV.
71. Gravestone of Pope Gregory XIII.
72. Chapel of the Holy Sacraments (only for those who pray).
73. Gravestone of Matilda of Tuscany (
74. Gravestone of Pope Innocent XII.
75. Gravestone of Pope Pius XII.
76. Chapel of San Sebastiano (Tombstone of the new blessed John Paul II).
77. Gravestone of Pope Pius XI.
78. Gravestone of Queen Christina of Sweden.
79. Gravestone of Pope Leo XII.
80. "Pieta" (sculptor Michelangelo)
Mosaic by Giotto Navicella.(1 on the plan of the cathedral)
Enter the portico opposite the central portal, turn to face the square and look up. In the lunette above the entrance is the famous mosaic Giotto Navicella (Italian shuttle), created in 1310 by Giotto di Bondone or simply Giotto (1267-1337) is an Italian artist and architect of the Proto-Renaissance era. One of the key figures in the history of Western art.
Having overcome the Byzantine icon-painting tradition, he became the true founder of the Italian school of painting, developed a completely new approach to depicting space. Giotto's works were inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo.
Presumably in 1300, Giotto was in Rome, where, on the guarantee of Cardinal Jacopo Stefaneschi, a monumental mosaic Navicella, a work that glorified the creator throughout Italy. The mosaic was located in the atrium of the Church of St. Peter (4th century). Now this creation of the artist dates back to 1310.
The chronicler Filippo Villani spoke of the great talent of Giotto and referred to this work in support of this. Giotto knew how to write a person as if "he breathes, talks, cries or rejoices."
The theme of the mosaic composition - the Miracle on the Lake of Genikapet - symbolically illustrates the mercy of Christ to the people. Jesus saves the boat with the apostles caught in a storm and drowning Peter.
The plot also symbolizes the very salvation of the Church from all possible misfortunes. Unfortunately, this creation was lost during the destruction of the old building; only a copy of the Baroque mosaic was preserved in the portico of the new church. The true form of the work can be guessed only from the sketches of artists of the 14th-15th centuries. and the surviving original frame of the mosaic.
Portico of the Cathedral.(2 on the plan of the cathedral)
Equestrian statue of Charlemagne(3 on the plan of the cathedral)
, who was first crowned in a cathedral in 800,
Gate of death. (4 on the plan of the cathedral)
Gate of death so named because funeral processions used to come out through these doors.
In preparation for the anniversary year of 1950, Pope Pius XII in 1947 announced a competition for the creation of three doors leading from the portico to the cathedral. The most outstanding artist among the winners was Giacomo Manzu. The door was made in 1961-64. 10 scenes on the doors express the Christian meaning of death. Above on the right - the crucifixion of the Savior, on the left - the Assumption of the Virgin. Below - reliefs with a bunch of grapes and a sheaf of ears, which simultaneously serve as door handles. Dying grapes and wheat turn into wine and bread.
During the sacrament of the Eucharist, they are transfigured into the Body and Blood of Christ, that is, into the bread of life and into the wine of salvation. Below on the right are depicted: the death of the first martyr St. Stephen; the death of Pope Gregory VII, who defends the Church from the claims of the emperor; death in space; mother's death at home in front of a crying child. Below, on the left, are the murder of Abel, the peaceful death of Joseph, the crucifixion of St. Peter, and the death of the "good pope" John XXIII.
Gates of Good and Evil. (5 on the plan of the cathedral)
"Gate of Good and Evil" 1975/77 Luciano Minguzzi (1911/2004), on the occasion of the eightieth birthday of Pope Paul VI. Evil is represented by a painting of martyrs during the 1943 partisan massacre at Casalecchio on the Rhine.
Philaret's door. (6 on the plan of the cathedral)
The huge bronze doors of the central entrance were made by the Florentine master Antonio Averuline, known as Filaret (1445). At the top of the doors are large figures of the Savior and the Mother of God seated on the throne. In the center are the apostles Peter and Paul. The two lower hallmarks depict scenes of Nero's trial and the subsequent execution of the apostles: the beheading of St. Paul and the crucifixion of St. Peter.
The doors are framed by numerous scenes on the themes of ancient myths (Leda and the Swan, Romulus and Remus, the abduction of the Sabine women) and Aesop's fables ("The Wolf and the Lamb", "The Fox and the Crane", "The Crow and the Fox"), intricate floral ornaments, as well as portraits emperors and other prominent people of that time. The door was also the main door of the old basilica.
Above the doors is a marble bas-relief by Bernini "Jesus entrusting Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven."
On the inside of the doors, you can see the brand of the master who made them, depicting himself riding a donkey at the head of a procession of assistants, each following him with his own tool (hammer, chisel, compass, etc.).
Door of the Mysteries. (7 on the plan of the cathedral)
"Door of Mystery" 1965 - Venantius Crocetti (1913/2003), commissioned by Pope Paul VI Montini (1963/78), on the occasion of the reopening of the Second Vatican Council.
Holy door. (8 on the plan of the cathedral)
From inside the cathedral holy door walled up with concrete, a bronze cross and a small square box are fixed on the concrete, in which the key to the door is kept.
Every 25 years, on the eve of Christmas (December 25), before the anniversary year, the concrete is broken. In accordance with a special ritual, after kneeling three times and three blows of the hammer, the Holy Door swings open and the pope, taking the cross in his hands, enters the cathedral first.
At the end of the jubilee year, the door is closed again and walled up for the next 25 years.
Equestrian statue of Constantine the Great. (10 on the plan of the cathedral)
equestrian statue of the emperor Constantine the Great, one of the masterpieces Bernini.
It was ordered by Pope Innocent X in 1654, but the order was completed only in 1670, already under Pope Clement X, who ordered that the statue be placed at the stairs leading to the Vatican Palace.
Eusebius, a contemporary of the event, who heard about it personally from Constantine the Great, narrates: “Once in the afternoon, when the sun began to lean towards the west,” the king said, “I saw with my own eyes the sign of the cross, composed of light and lying on the sun, with the inscription:" sim win." This sight struck with horror both the king himself and the army that was near him, for the cross, as a shameful instrument of execution, was considered by the pagans as a bad omen. Constantine was at a loss and said to himself: what does such a phenomenon mean? But while he was meditating, night fell. Then Christ appeared to him in a dream with a sign seen in heaven and commanded him to make a banner similar to the one seen in heaven, and use it to defend against attacks by enemies.
Stucco (artificial marble) imitates Damascus fabric. Despite the theatricality, the fluttering folds of the fabric emphasize the swiftness of the horse's movement, and the emperor's impulse to fight and his amazement look quite realistic. Constantine, along with Charles, are considered guardians, secular defenders of the Church.
Nave. (11 on the plan of the cathedral)
Total length of the basilica 211.6 m. On the floor of the central nave there are marks showing the dimensions of the other 28 largest cathedrals in the world, which allows them to be compared with the largest cathedral of St. Petra- (2) St. Paul's Cathedral Londra, (3) S.Maria del Fiore Firenze, (4) Basilica del Sacro Cuore Bruxelles, (5) Immacolata Concezione Washington, (6) Cattedrale Reims, (7) Cattedrale Colonia , (8) Duomo Milano, (9) Cattedrale Spira, (10) Basilica di S. Petronio Bologna, (11) Cattedrale Siviglia, (12) Notre Dame Parigi, (13) S. Paolo Fuori le Mura Roma,... (25) Westminster Abbey Londra, (26) Santa Sofia Istambul, (27) Cattedrale di S. Croce Boston, (28) Basilica di S. Maria Danzica e (29) Cattedrale di S. Patrizio New York.
Baptistery (baptismal - a font made of a sarcophagus).(12 on the plan of the cathedral)
A red Egyptian porphyry sarcophagus, possibly of Emperor Hadrian, was then used as the tomb of Emperor Otto II and placed there in 1695 under the direction of Carlo Fontana (1634-1714). The lid of the sarcophagus is made of gilded bronze by Lorenzo Ottoni (1648-1736).
Monument to Maria Klementina Sobieska.(13 on the plan of the cathedral)
Maria Clementine considered one of the richest heirs in Europe. King George I of England was opposed to the planned marriage of Mary Clementine and James Stuart, who claimed the English throne and had the opportunity to have legitimate heirs.
Emperor Charles VI, acting in the interests of the English king, arrested Mary Clementine, who was on her way to Italy to marry James Stuart. She was imprisoned in Innsbruck Castle, she managed to escape from there to Bologna, where she married James Stewart, who was in Spain at that time, by proxy.
Maria Clementine's father, Jacob Sobieski, greeted the news of her escape with approval, stating that since she was engaged to James Stewart, she should follow him. Mary Clementine and James Stuart formally became spouses on September 3, 1719 in the chapel of the bishop's palace in Montefiascon.
At the invitation of Pope Clement XI, who recognized them as King and Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland, James and Mary Clementine settled in Rome. The Pope provided them with protection, allocated for the residence of the Muti Palace in the Roman Piazza di Santi Apostoli and a country villa in Albano. An allowance of 12,000 crowns was paid annually to spouses from the papal treasury.
Pope Clement XI and his successor Innocent XIII considered the Catholics James and Mary Clementine to be the rightful king and queen of England.
The joint life of James and Maria Clementine was short-lived. Shortly after the birth of their second child, Maria Clementina left her husband and retired to the Roman convent of Saint Cecilia. The reason for the gap, according to her, was the betrayal of her husband. James insisted on the return of his wife, arguing that it was sinful to leave him and their children. However, the couple divorced two years later. Maria Clementina died on January 18, 1735.
She was buried by order of Pope Clement XII with royal honors in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Benedict XIV commissioned the sculptor Pietro Bracci (1700-1773) tomb Mary Clementina.
Tomb of the Stuarts.(14 on the plan of the cathedral)
Not far from the entrance you can see the creation sculptor Canova- the tombstone of the last representatives of the Scottish royal family Stuart (1817-1819). The tombstone was made at the expense of the English King George III. The exiled British aristocrat - Catholic James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons, Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart, are buried here. The grave itself is located in the grottoes of the Vatican.
Gravestone of Pope Innocent VIII.(19 on the plan of the cathedral)
Of great interest is the work created in 1498 by the sculptor Antonio Pollaiolo the gravestone of Innocent VIII, this is one of the few surviving monuments that were still in the old basilica. In his left hand, the pope holds the tip of the Holy Spear, with which the centurion Longinus pierced the crucified Christ to make sure of his death.
Altar "Transfiguration" (the last painting by Raphael 1518-1520)(24 on the plan of the cathedral)
Shortly before his suffering and death on the cross, Jesus Christ told the apostles that among them there are those who, before death, will see the Kingdom of God come in power.
A few days later, three of them: Peter, James and John, He raised to the high Mount Tabor and there, during prayer, he was transformed in front of them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and talked with Jesus.
This is how the evangelist Mark describes this event. The meaning of the Transfiguration of the Lord for the apostles was that when they see Jesus crucified, they would not doubt his teaching, but would see the voluntary suffering and death of God for people. And they preached to the world that the Lord Jesus Christ is the true Son of God.
The celebration of this gospel event by the Church coincides with the harvest, so on this day it is customary to consecrate various earthly fruits and thank God for them.
Cardinal Giuliano di Medici, the future Pope Clement VII, ordered this painting in 1517 from Raphael for the French cathedral in the city of Narbonne - the chair of the cardinal. The painting was completed by Raphael's students Giuliano Romano and Francesco Penny after Raphael's death.
Vasari wrote that the unfinished painting was put up near the head of Raphael's deathbed, breaking the hearts of everyone who saw it. The painting remained in Rome in the Palazzo Cancelleria, and then placed in the church of San Pietro in Montorio after 1523. In 1797 Napoleon took it to Paris, the painting was returned in 1815.
The female figure below symbolizes the Church, giving peace, hope and faith.
The picture combines two plots - the transfiguration of Christ and an episode about the meeting of the apostles with a demon-possessed boy who was healed by Jesus Christ, who descended from Mount Tabor. The painting itself is now in Pinacoteca Vatican, and in the cathedral - its mosaic copy.
Dome. (38 on the plan of the cathedral)
The dome, a masterpiece of architecture, has a height inside 119 m and diameter 42 m. In Rome it is called "cupollone" ("dome").
Along the frieze of the dome and further along the frieze of the whole church there is a mosaic inscription in Greek and Latin ("Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam mean et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum" Mt 16:18) with the words of Christ: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
The dome is divided into 16 sectors and 6 horizontal tiers. At the very bottom are 16 popes buried in the cathedral. The next tier depicts Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the apostles.
The rectangular frames depict angels holding the instruments of the Passion of the Lord. In round medallions - cherubs and seraphim. Next - the angels guarding the grave of St. Peter, and winged angels.
The inner surface of the dome is decorated with images of the four evangelists: Matthew- with an angel who led his hand when writing the Gospel, Mark- with a lion Luke- with an ox John- with an eagle. The lion, the eagle and the ox are the so-called "apocalyptic beasts", about which St. John the Theologian writes in the Apocalypse as animals that surrounded the throne of God.
St. Matthew, 1599 Cesare Nebbia
St. Luke, 1599 Giovanni De Vecchi
In 1624, Pope Urban VIII ordered Lorenzo Bernini to create 4 loggias in the Cathedral under the dome for the storage of relics. The role of Bernini in creating the sculptural decoration of the cathedral is very great, he worked here intermittently for almost fifty years, from 1620 to 1670. Below the loggias, in the niches of the pillars, there are huge statues corresponding to the relics stored in the loggias. Currently, some of these relics are in other places.
Statue of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.(31 on the plan of the cathedral)
The relic was brought to Venice by Thomas Palaiolagos, the last ruler of Morea fleeing the Turkish invasion of the Peloponnese, and presented to Pius II (1460). As a sign of friendship with the Greek Orthodox Church, in 1966 Pope Paul VI presented the relic as a gift to the church of St. Andrew in the city of Patras, where the saint died.
Statue of St. Longinus.(33 on the plan of the cathedral)
Like his predecessors, Pope Innocent VIII tried to stop the Turkish invasion, but he succeeded without the crusade he planned to make. Pierre d "Aubusson captured Djem, the brother and rival of Sultan Bayezid II. The Sultan and the Pope entered into an agreement in 1489 under which Djem was held captive in Rome, and the Sultan left Europe and paid a ransom every year. In 1492 Bayezid gave the pope a fragment of a spear, which was believed to belong to the centurion Longinus.(material from http://saintpetersbasilica.org/)
During the execution of Jesus on Golgotha, soldiers from the detachment of the centurion Longinus carried the guard. Longinus and his subordinates witnessed the last minutes of the Lord's life. They were in awe of the sudden eclipse of the sun and the earthquake, in which the stones fell apart. Horror gripped many soldiers who had seen in their lifetime when they saw the opened graves and the dead that rose from them.
According to custom, to make sure of the death of the crucified, Longinus pierced the Lord with a spear, and the blood of the Savior splashed on his face. The Roman centurion suffered from an eye disease, and as soon as the divine blood touched them, he received healing. Everything that happened so shocked Longinus and his two friends that, looking at the Lord nailed to the cross, they publicly confessed Him to be the Son of God.
After the burial of the Lord, Longinus with his people was assigned to guard the cave with the body of Jesus in order to prevent a possible attempt to kidnap him. Here he became an eyewitness to the appearance of an angel who announced to the myrrh-bearing women about the resurrection of the Son of God. The new miracle touched Longinus to the depths of his soul. He reported everything that had happened to Pontius Pilate.
The procurator, who, against his will, for the sake of the Jews, gave Jesus the Nazarene to be executed, was puzzled by the story of the centurion. He remembered that on the eve of the trial of Jesus, his wife Claudia had a prophetic dream, and she asked not to harm the Nazarene.
Apparently, in vain he did not listen to her. Longinus reported the Lord's resurrection to the Sanhedrin. The members of the Grand Council did not believe him and decided to bribe the warriors. They were given a substantial sum for agreeing to make a statement that Jesus' body had been stolen by His disciples. Longinus, however, rejected the bribe and did not want to remain silent about the resurrection of the Lord.
Having believed in the Savior, he began to openly testify about the events in which he himself was a participant. The Jewish elders soon learned about his preaching, and they immediately realized how dangerous for them the centurion's public statements that Jesus is the true Son of God.
With his speeches, he, as a neutral witness, made the preaching of the disciples of Christ even more convincing. The chief priests and elders were indignant, but by their power they could not forbid the Roman officer to say what he wanted.
Only Pilate could influence him, with whom the Jewish leaders did not develop relations. Nevertheless, they went to bow, since Longinus, despite warnings, did not stop preaching. When the Sanhedrin asked Pilate to reason with the officer, the procurator again felt pressure from the Jewish elders.
First, the Jews forced him to give the order to crucify Jesus, who was accused of proclaiming himself king and of rebellion against the emperor, now they are demanding punishment for the centurion who took the side of the rebel. In both cases, their requests included a hidden threat to inform the emperor that Pilate was patronizing state criminals. And complicity in treason is a serious accusation, in which one may not be justified.
The procurator talked to the officer, trying to persuade him to compromise with the Jews. But for Longinus, the truth turned out to be more precious than the goodwill of the authorities. Having been refused, Pilate became embittered, but did not openly oppress his subordinate, who was a well-deserved veteran, a valiant and honest man, moreover, known to the emperor himself.
However, Longinus soon learned from friends that both the procurator and noble Jews were looking for a pretext for reprisals against him, and he was killed for his faith in Caesarea in Cappadocia in 58, from where, according to other testimonies, he was born.
Statue of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena.(34 on the plan of the cathedral)
Compared to the works of Bernini, this statue looks more static. Many fragments of the Holy Cross kept in the cathedral were donated to other churches. Therefore, Pope Urban VIII solved the particles stored in the Church of St. Anastasia and the Cathedral of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (ital.Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, which means "Holy Cross in Jerusalem" - one of the seven pilgrimage churches of Rome, located south of the Lateran ), move to St. Peter's Cathedral.
Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helena, Flavia Julia Helena Augusta (lat. Flavia Iulia Helena, c. 250 - 330) - the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine I. She became famous for her activities to spread Christianity and her excavations in Jerusalem, during which the Life-Giving One was found Cross and other relics of the Passion.
For her activities in the spread of Christianity, Elena was canonized in the face of equal-to-the-apostles honor, which was awarded to only 5 more women in Christian history (Mary Magdalene, First Martyr Thekla, Martyr Apphia, Princess Olga and Enlightener of Georgia Nina). In the East, the veneration of Elena as a saint arose soon after her death; at the beginning of the 9th century, her cult spread to the Western Church.
The memory of St. Helena is celebrated: in the Orthodox Church - March 6 (remembrance of the acquisition of the Life-Giving Cross and nails by Elena) and May 21 (dates according to the Julian calendar);
Statue of St. Veronica.(35 on the plan of the cathedral)
With a picture of Jesus Christ. St. Veronica, in Christian legends, a pious Jewess who accompanied Christ on his way to Golgotha and gave him, who was exhausted under the weight of the cross that he carried on his shoulders, a linen scarf so that he could wipe blood and sweat from his face. The face of Jesus was imprinted on the scarf . The Veil of Veronica, which is considered authentic, is kept in St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome.
a number of legends designed to give the image of St. Veronica historical features. According to one legend, she subsequently preached Christianity in the south of Gaul. In other legends, she is called the Greek princess or identified with Martha, the sister of Lazarus.
In Italy, there was a legend according to which she healed the emperor Tiberius with the help of her board with the miraculous image of the Savior. It is believed that the name of Veronica is a distorted lat. vera icon ("true image") - this is how they called the "plate of Veronica", distinguishing it from other images of Christ.
For the first time, the story about St. Veronica appears in the apocryphal Acts of Pilate, dating back to the 4th or 5th century. The merciful deed of Veronica is remembered during the sixth stop on the Way of the Cross. Commemoration is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on July 12 (according to the Julian calendar), in the Catholic Church on February 4.
Bronze statue of St. Peter. (32 on the plan of the cathedral)
At the end of the central nave, at the last pillar on the right next to the statue of St. Longinus, there is a statue of St. Peter, 13th century, attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio. Miraculous properties are attributed to the statue, and numerous pilgrims reverently put their hands on the bronze feet.
In his left hand, St. Apostle Peter holds the keys to paradise. The wall behind the statue is decorated with mosaics, not fabric. St. Peter led the church for 25 years. For 19 centuries, the only pope who sat on the throne of Peter longer (1847-1878) than Peter himself was Pope Pius IX. His portrait is placed on the wall above the statue of the apostle. The alabaster pedestal was made in 1757 by Carlo Marchionni. The marble chair belongs to the early Renaissance.
On June 29, on the day of the memory of the apostle, his statue is dressed in clothes, so that it seems that the statue comes to life.
Canopy ((36 on the plan of the cathedral)
In the domed space above the main altar there is a work by Bernini in the cathedral (1633) - a huge, 29 m high canopy (civorium) on four twisted columns, on which stand statues of angels, the work of Francois du Duquesnoy. Between these angels, one pair of angels holds the symbols of the pope - keys and a tiara, the other pair of angels holds the symbols of St. Paul - a book and a sword. The unusual shape of the columns repeats the silhouette of a twisted column from the Temple of Solomon, brought to Rome after the capture of Jerusalem.
Among the branches of the laurel on the upper parts of the columns, heraldic bees of the Barberini family are visible. A huge amount of bronze was required for the ciborium. 100,000 pounds (37 or 45 tons, it all depends on which pound was used for measurements) were removed from the dome of the old cathedral, then the same amount was sent from Venice and Livorno. When this was not enough, then, on the orders of Pope Urban VIII (Barberini), they dismantled the structures that supported the roof of the portico and the bronze bas-relief from the pediment.
It was then that Pasquino said his catchphrase: "Quod non fecerunt Barbari fecerunt Barberini" (what the barbarians did not destroy, the Barberini destroyed). Although the canopy does not look particularly large in the interior of the cathedral, it is equal in height to a 4-story building. Bernini's masterpiece became the personification of the Baroque style.
The main altar is called the papal altar, since only the pope can serve mass in front of it. The altar was consecrated by Pope Clement VIII on June 5, 1594. The altar is made of big piece marble brought from the forum of Emperor Nerva.
"Confessional" (tomb of St. Peter). (37 on the plan of the cathedral)
In front of the altar there is a staircase leading down to the tomb of St. Peter. This descent is called Confessio (confessional), because it can be considered as a cut through window in the confessional, through which believers could look at the shrine, hidden deep underground, where part of the relics of St. Peter is kept.
Tombstone of Alexander VII by Bernini, 1678 (43 on the plan of the cathedral)
The last masterpiece of the 80-year-old Bernini. The Pope is depicted kneeling surrounded by allegories of Mercy (with children, sculptor G. Mazzuoli), Truth (leaning his left foot on the globe, sculptors Morelli and Cartari), Prudence (sculptor G. Cartari,) and Justice (sculptor L. Balestri). Initially, the figures were naked, but on the orders of Innocent XI, Bernini draped them.
The pontiff's prayer is not violated even by the sudden appearance of Death, lifting the heavy canopy. The truth has set foot on England, which symbolizes the pope's futile attempts to stop the spread of Anglicanism there.
Tombstone of Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese). (51 on the plan of the cathedral)
They say that the allegories of Justice and Prudence are like the sister and mother of the pope. When creating the tombstone, della Porta may have used a sketch by Michelangelo, and the work itself on the creation of the tombstone was most likely carried out under the supervision of Michelangelo. Bernini moved the tombstone to the central apse of the cathedral in 1628.
This sculptural composition is one of the most beautiful due to its harmony and restraint. Initially, the statue of Justice was naked, but in 1595 Cardinal Farnese ordered a cape for her. Prudence was left naked to the waist. Mirror in the hand of Prudence.
In the central apse is also created by Bernini Department of St. Peter (1666). (52 on the plan of the cathedral)
Under Pope Alexander VII, the Chair of the Apostle Peter (1657-1665) was formed, revered as the throne of St. Peter. Bernini decorated the throne with a magnificent bronze throne, which was carried by figures of two human heights, depicting the four fathers of the Church. (Ambrose and Augustine as representatives of the Roman Church, Athanasius and John Chrysostom - Greek)
From above, the throne was immersed in a sparkling golden light pouring from an oval glass window depicting a dove - a symbol of the Holy Spirit - the divine source of papal infallibility. From the image of the dove, golden rays depart in all directions and pierce the swollen clouds inhabited by angels.
Gravestone of Pope Urban VIII. (53 on the plan of the cathedral)
The coat of arms with the Barberini bees can be seen throughout the cathedral.
It was this pope who forced Galileo to renounce the teachings of Copernicus, although Urban was a personal friend of Galileo, but the political situation of that time forced him to do so. By his bull of April 22, 1639, the pope forbade slavery in any form of Indians in Brazil, Paraguay, and throughout the West Indies.
The composition of the gravestone resembles that of Pope Paul III, but is more harmonious. The magnificent white marble figures of Mercy and Justice form the transition from the observer to the statue of the pope, who raised his hand in blessing and attracted the viewer's attention.
Altar of St. Jerome. (66 on the plan of the cathedral)
Altarpiece "The Last Communion of St. Jerome" by the artist Domenichino, 1614. Translated into mosaic in 1744. The famous painting is now kept in Pinacoteca Vatican. The painting shows St. Jerome receiving the last communion from St. Ephraim, assisted by St. Paula.
Below the altar is a sarcophagus containing the embalmed body of Pope John XXIII. Blessed John XXIII, Pope since 1958. Diplomat of the Vatican, served as papal nuncio (envoy) in Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and France. Having ascended the papal throne, he advocated peace and the peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems. He sought to modernize the Catholic Church in connection with the changing conditions in the world. In 1962 he convened the Second Vatican Council.
The pontificate of John XXIII, which lasted less than 5 years, determined the new course of the Vatican policy, which corresponded to the new realities and was called upon to establish a dialogue between different countries and denominations, as well as to improve the social status of believers in different regions peace. Most researchers call the policy of Pope John XXIII, aimed at protecting the poorest inhabitants of the world, an example of the assertion of the principles of Christian socialism, which were developed in papal encyclicals.
The activities of the pope did not receive due appreciation in his immediate environment. Opponents of the course of John XXIII called him the "red pope", supporters - "the pope of the world." The Pope was not destined to carry out the program of "renewal" of the church adopted by the Second Vatican Council himself. He died on June 3, 1963 of stomach cancer, refusing an operation.
As it recently turned out, the body of the holy father was immediately after death embalmed by the assistant of the Institute of Anatomy of the Medical Faculty of the Catholic University of the Heart of Jesus, Gennaro Goglia, therefore, during the exhumation on January 16, 2001, it was found completely incorrupt.
The bas-relief recalls the reform carried out by the pope - the introduction of a new calendar (Gregorian). 4 October 1582 was followed by 15 October. October 4th is the day of memory of St. Francis, which in no case should have been missed.
The pope is pictured with prominent astronomers and mathematicians, including Jesuit Priest Ignatius Danti, Father Clavius of Bamberg, and Antonio Lilio of Calabria. The dragon below is the emblem animal of the genus Boncompagni. Pope Clement XI, persuaded by Candinal Buoncompagni ( cousin Gregory), ordered this new tombstone.
Chapel of the Holy Mysteries. (72 on the plan of the cathedral)
Next to the gravestone of Gregory XIII, there is a small chapel of the Holy Sacraments.
The forged lattice of the chapel is made according to Borromini's drawing. The entrance to the chapel is closed for tourists. You can go here only for prayers.
Magnificent tabernacle by Bernini (1674), gilded bronze. The central part of the tabernacle is made in the form of a chapel - the Tempietto rotunda by the architect Bramante (1502), located in the courtyard of the monastery of San Pietro in Montorio on the Janiculum hill (eighth hill) in Rome.
The altarpiece - "The Trinity of the New Testament" - is the only oil painting in the cathedral, the artist is Pietro da Cortona.
Tombstone of Matilda of Tuscany. (73 on the plan of the cathedral)
Behind the tomb of Gregory XIII is the tomb of the Margravine Mathilde of Canossa by Bernini with students; she was the first woman to be honored to be buried in this cathedral. (In 1077, in Canossa, in the castle of the Margravine Matilda, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, who was excommunicated and deposed, humbly begged for forgiveness from Pope Gregory VII.)
Pope Urban VIII ordered this headstone at the end of 1633. He wanted to honor the memory of this outstanding woman. On March 10, 1634, her body was transported from Mantua to the cathedral, where the tombstone was already ready. The bas-relief by Stefano Speranza depicts Henry IV kneeling before Gregory VII on January 28, 1077. At the top of the arch, Matteo Bonarelli, Andrea Bolgi and Lorenzo Flori carved a putti holding a crown, a coat of arms and the motto: TUETUR ET UNIT (I protect and unite).
Matilda of Tuscany (It.: Matilde, Lat.: Mathilde) (1046 - July 24, 1115) - Tuscan Margravess, also called the Grand Countess in history. She was a supporter of Pope Gregory VII during the struggle for investiture. One of the few medieval women who conducted military operations. Her father Boniface III of Tuscany was the ruler of most of the lands of Northern Italy, including Ferrara, Modena, Mantua, Brescia, Reggio Emilia, and had the title of "Marquis of Tuscany".
In 1070, for political reasons, she entered into a secret marriage with Gottfried the Hunchback, Duke of Lorraine, who died in 1076. In her castle of Canossa, Gregory VII took refuge from Henry IV, who in 1077 came to him there for repentance. When Henry attacked Gregory in 1081, Matilda prevented the latter's complete defeat, and after Gregory's death she continued to feud with Henry.
In 1089, she agreed, at the request of Pope Urban II, to enter into a second secret marriage with an 18-year-old opponent of Henry IV, Welf V, the son of a Bavarian duke; this marriage, however, was annulled a few years later. Matilda later supported the uprisings of Conrad and Henry V against their father. Matilda appointed the Roman Church as the heir to her fief lands and estates.
Chapel of San Sebastiano. (76 on the plan of the cathedral)
Mosaic "The Death of Saint Sebastian" from the original, 1614, by the artist Domenichino, kept in the Vatican Pinacoteca.
Until May 2011, the gravestone of Pope Innocent XI was kept under the altar, and in April 2011 the body of Pope Innocent XI was transferred to the Clementine Chapel. On April 29, 2011, the body of Pope John Paul II was exhumed and placed in front of the main altar of St. Peter, and after beatification reburied in a new tomb under the altar of the chapel of San Sebastiano. The marble slab with which the former tomb of the pontiff was covered was sent to his homeland - to Poland.
Beatification of John Paul II.
In the Latin tradition, beginning with the establishment of Pope Urban VIII in 1642, it is customary to distinguish between the process of being beatified (beatified) and saints (canonized).
Later, under Pope Benedict XIV, requirements were established that the candidate must meet: his writings must comply with the teachings of the Church, the virtues he showed must be exceptional, and the facts of the miracle performed through his intercession must be documented or evidenced by witnesses.
For canonization, at least two miracles are required, through the intercession of the deceased. The issues of glorification are dealt with by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican, which studies the submitted materials and sends them, in case of a positive preliminary conclusion, for approval to the pope, after which the icon of the newly glorified is opened in St. Peter's Basilica.
John Paul II himself canonized saints and blessed more people than all his predecessors after the 16th century. From 1594 (after the adoption by Sixtus V in 1588 of the apostolic constitution Immensa Aeterni Dei, concerning, in particular, issues of canonization) to 2004, 784 canonizations were made, of which 475 were during the pontificate of John Paul II. John Paul II numbered 1,338 people among the blessed.
Pope Benedict XVI began the process of canonizing his predecessor, John Paul II. This was announced by Benedict XVI at a meeting of priests in the Basilica of St. John on the Lateran in Rome. A prerequisite for beatification is a miracle. It is believed that John Paul II healed the French nun Marie Simon-Pierre of Parkinson's disease a few years ago. On May 1, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI beatified John Paul II.
Canonization of John Paul II.
The procedure for the canonization of the 264th Pope will take place on April 27, 2014. This decision was made as a result of a cardinal consistory held by Pope Francis on September 30, 2013. On July 3, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of the Holy See issued a statement that the second miracle necessary for canonization, with the assistance of the pontiff, occurred on May 1, 2011.
The Vatican has not yet made official comments on the nature of the miraculous phenomenon. But there is already information that a miracle happened in Costa Rica with a sick woman who was healed of a serious brain disease thanks to the prayers of the late John Paul II. The decision on canonization has already been made by the current head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis.
tombstone Queen Christina of Sweden.(78 on the plan of the cathedral)
Author - Carlo Fontana, 1670. Christina (1626-1689) - Queen of Sweden, daughter of Gustav II Adolf and Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg. One of three women buried in St. Peter's Basilica. In Brussels, on Christmas Day 1654, she converted to Catholicism. Christina's conversion to Catholicism caused a sensation throughout the Protestant world. From Brussels Christina went to Italy. On November 3, 1655, she officially renounced the Protestant church in Innsbruck.
"Pieta" (sculptor Michelangelo). (80 on the plan of the cathedral)
The most famous sculpture on a religious subject. The most outstanding work of art in the cathedral. Michelangelo created it from a single block of Carrara marble when he was not yet 25 years old.
The order for the sculptural group was received on August 26, 1498 from Cardinal Jean Bilheres de Lagraulas, ambassador of the French king; the work was completed around 1500 after the death of the cardinal, who died in 1498. The sculpture was intended for the tombstone of the cardinal. The pedestal was made by Francesco Borromini in 1626.
This is the only work of the sculptor, which he signed (according to Vasari, overheard the conversation of onlookers who argued about its authorship). Copies of "Pieta" can be seen in many Catholic churches around the world, from Mexico to Korea.
"Pieta"- one of the works in which art historians see the watershed between the Quattrocento and the High Renaissance. The Italian master rethought in the spirit of high humanism the sculptural image of the lifeless Christ in the arms of his mother, traditional for northern Gothic. Madonna is presented to him as a very young and beautiful woman who mourns the loss of the person closest to her.
Despite the difficulty of combining two such large figures in one statue, the composition of the Pieta is impeccable. The figures are interpreted as a single whole, their connection is striking in their unity. At the same time, the sculptor subtly contrasts male and female, living and dead, naked and covered, vertical and horizontal, which introduces an element of tension into the composition.
"Pieta" served as a model for subsequent interpretations of this iconographic plot. The large, breaking folds of the Madonna's robe not only deliberately enhance the dramatic fracture of the body lying on her knees, but also serve as a kind of pedestal for the entire pyramidal composition. In these sophisticated folds, hidden power, both spiritual and physical, is guessed, contrasting with the soft features of the Mother of God. In terms of the degree of completeness and elaboration of details, the Pieta surpasses almost all other sculptural works by Michelangelo.
In 1972, Laszlo, an Australian geologist of Hungarian origin, attacked the statue with a rock hammer. The one who shouted that he was Christ. After the restoration, the statue was installed behind bulletproof glass to the right of the entrance to the cathedral.
The Pieta Chapel is decorated with mosaics made by F.Cristofari based on drawings by Ferri and Pietro da Cortona. The latter is called Bernini painting because of the number and significance of his works for the cathedral. Above the altar is the fresco "Triumph of the Cross" by Lanfranco, the only fresco from the cathedral not translated into mosaics. The Chapel of the Holy Sacraments contains the only oil painting in the cathedral.
and from the Vatican site-
Publication date:
2014-07-16
(Italian: Piazza San Pietro) is a baroque square in front of St. Peter's Cathedral, which is considered the most important religious building for Catholics around the world.
Believers gather in the square to hear the papal address from the window of the Lateran Palace or from the balcony of the cathedral (on more solemn occasions, for example, at Christmas; the Pope also appears here for the first time before the public and after his election).
The square, like the cathedral of the same name, is named after St. Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. Before meeting with his teacher, the beloved disciple of Christ was a simple fisherman Simon. Meeting with Jesus, Simon took from him the name "Kepha", which means "stone" in Aramaic. Subsequently, the Gospel began to use a translation from the Greek language: "petros is a stone." So the words of Jesus Christ explain his choice of the name of the apostle: “I say to you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it; And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Many deeds are attributed to the Apostle Peter, but he was most revered for the power with which he preached and healed the afflicted. In the Acts of the Apostles, cases of healing the sick and resurrecting the dead are described, in particular, the case in Joppa with the maiden Tabitha, whom he brought to life. Jerome of Stridon, a church writer and creator of the canonical Latin text of the Bible, wrote that the Apostle Peter was elected the first bishop of Rome in 43 and held this post for 25 years. According to legend, in the year 67, Peter was crucified like his teacher on the cross, during the Christian persecutions organized by order of Emperor Nero. Not considering himself worthy to die as a son of God, Peter was crucified upside down on the cross.
Guided by the Christian legend about the burial of St. Peter under the ancient Roman Basilica of Constantine, built on the site of the Circus of Nero, St. Peter's Cathedral was built here in the 16th century. In 1939, excavations began, which lasted 10 years and as a result revealed to the world an ancient cemetery, where they found a grave, especially revered back in the 1st-2nd centuries. It is not known for certain whether that grave was the burial place of the Apostle Peter or not, but in 1964 Pope Paul VI made an official statement that, according to scientists, the grave of the apostle can be considered discovered.
The construction of the monumental St. Peter's Cathedral "provoked" the improvement of the adjacent square. The work was carried out from 1656 to 1667 under the direction of Lorenzo Bernini. When developing his project for the square, Bernini had to reckon with many conditions. These are the features of the terrain (height difference of 8-10 meters), and the presence of the facade of the new cathedral dominating the entire territory of the square (its height is 45 meters), and two fountains and an obelisk already installed by that time. Realizing his architectural ideas, the talented architect found a constructive solution to turn the surrounding space into a complex of two squares. The trapezoidal part of St. Peter's Square is surrounded by galleries, and the oval part is decorated with two colonnades.
On the sides of the stairs, which is located on the trapezoidal part of the square, there are two statues of the apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, by Bernini. The grandiose colonnade 19 meters high and 19 meters deep, which is located on the oval part of the square, consists of 284 Doric columns arranged in four rows. Columns with powerful balconies and an attic are decorated with 96 statues of saints and martyrs of the church. The colonnades and the cathedral are interconnected by closed corridors that diverge at the facade.
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In the very center of the square are two 17th-century fountains by Carlo Maderna and Lorenzo Bernini. Between the fountains there is an ancient Egyptian obelisk made of pink granite dating back to the 1st century BC. In 37, the emperor Caligula brought him to Rome. The obelisk, more than 25 meters high, was brought from Heliopolis, the outskirts of modern Cairo. It was intended for the hippodrome, where it remained for a long time. During the Renaissance, they tried several times to transport the obelisk to St. Peter's Square, but the colossal size of the ancient relic required considerable effort to implement this idea. Only by the will of Pope Sixtus V and under the guidance of the architect and engineer Domenic Fontana did the transfer of the obelisk take place. Placed on a solid platform, a massive monument, with the help of rollers, winches and a draft force of 900 workers and 140 horses, finally found its place in the center of St. Peter's Square.
There is a legend that tells that during the lifting of the obelisk and placing it in a horizontal position, part of the ropes began to break, and only an unknown person who was in the crowd of onlookers shouted: “Water on the ropes!”. As a result, the wet rope pulled together, and the obelisk was successfully placed on the pedestal. Thanks to the captain of the ship Bresca from the city of San Remo, none of the workers were injured. Pope Sixtus V thanked the captain with the privilege of becoming the supplier of the pontiff and providing the Vatican with palm trees for the celebration of the religious holiday of Palm Sunday. Another legend says that in the golden ball that once crowned the monument, there was the ashes of Julius Caesar.
In 1930, in honor of the independence of the Vatican and the signing of the Lateran Accords, the so-called "Street of Reconciliation" was laid from the city center to St. Peter's Square. From a bird's eye view, the general outlines of the street with the square resemble a giant key, which Jesus Christ spoke about when addressing the Apostle Peter: "And I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven."
Currently, St. Peter's Square serves as a place of pilgrimage for Catholics who gather in front of the main Catholic cathedral to receive the blessing of the Pope, take part in a festive mass and pray together with believers from all over the world.
- group tour (up to 10 people) for the first acquaintance with the city and the main attractions - 3 hours, 31 euros
- immerse yourself in the history of Ancient Rome and visit the main monuments of antiquity: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill - 3 hours, 38 euros
- the history of Roman cuisine, oysters, truffle, pate and cheese during a tour for real gourmets - 5 hours, 45 euros
