Basilica di San Pietro, Città del Vaticano

The Saint Peter Church

The Saint Peter Basilica is the most large Church in the world. It was built in the 324 by Emperor Costantino and in the 1506 Pope Julius II decided that the entire church should be rebuilt and in 1506 appointed Bramante as the architect. He appears to have originally planned a symmetrical Greek cross with a great dome over the center. Bramante was succeded by Raphael (1514), Antonio da San Gallo (1520) and Michelangelo (1547), who completed the building up to the drum of the great dome. The inner part of dome is covered by many beautiful frescos. Giacomo della Porta modified the design and completed the dome. The atrium was realized by Antonio Maderno and the portal of the Church that was sculptured by Filarete. In the firts chapel on the right side you can find one of the most famous marble group in the world, the Pietà  of Michelangelo. In the high altar there is the Bernini's superbe bronze baldachino, that is one of the beautiful art works of this great artist. Pope Barberini, in fact, commited to him the great Cathedra that is in the centre of the apse, where is also another Bernini's famous works of art, the funerary monument of Pope Urbano VIII. In the end, Bernini realized the Tabernacle that is in the Chapel of SS.Sacrament and the colonnade that is on the side of the facade. In the apse there is another funerary monument, the tomb of Pope Paul III Pope Paul III which was commited to Guglielmo Della Porta and was finished by his son, Teodoro Della Porta. In the Central Nave there are the bronze Saint Peter statue that was realized by Arnolfo di Cambio, and the Monument of Pope Clement XIII that was realized by Antonio Canova in the end of XVIII Century. Another famous Funerary Monument is the tomb of Pope Innocenzo VIIII that was realized by Antonio Pollaiolo, a great pictor was also a famous sculptor The church is enriched by many paintings and mosaics that are the copies of some famous pictures, like the Seppelliment of Saint Petronella. The painting is in the Capitoline Museum and was painted by Guercino. There is also a copy of Saint Michel of Guido Reni and a mosaic with Saint Peter that was painted by Lanfranco. Notable are also the bases of dome pillars that were sculptured by Francesco Mochi.

The Saint Peter Tresure

The Saint Peter tresure is placed in a Museum that is near the transet, in the church. In the Museum you can find frames, lithurgic implements like plates, reliquaries, chalices, pateras and crucifixes made with gold silver and precious stones, that were presented to Popes durings the time. There are also the Monument of Pope Sixtus IV that was realized by Antonio Pollaiolo (1471-1484) and his famous ring.