En route to Rome, you will be exposed to over a hundred of picture-perfect views and sceneries and one of which is the hallowed St. Peter’s Basilica.
Known as the San Pietro in Vaticano, St Peter’s Basilica is Rome’s enclave and is considered the world’s largest church ever built in history. For the record, St Peter’s Basilica’s area measures 23,000 m² and has a capacity of over 60,000. You might have known that St Peter’s Basilica is the holiest sites in Christendom but if truth be told, there are still a lot of things that may be interesting to know once you decide to take a trip in Rome.
St Peter’s Basilica: A Trip You Will Treasure
You don’t have to be a jet setter to travel around Rome but you have to include Rome, particularly St Peter’s Basilica on your list of must-visit places before you die. Otherwise, if you choose not to visit Rome specifically St Peter’s Basilica even if you have the means, you have lived in vain.
It is believed that St Peter’s Basilica was constructed at the site where Apostle Peter was both crucified and buried. At present, Apostle Peter’s tomb is under the main altar of the St Peter’s Basilica. To continue the tradition that has been started from the death of Apostle Peter, other popes were also buried in below St Peter’s Basilica.
There are some claims that St Peter’s Basilica is a cathedral. Well, now you know that it is not. St. John Lateran is the pope’s cathedral.
The Site, Structure, and History of St Peter’s Basilica
The site of St Peter’s Basilica is originally the Circus of Nero. And so, as you enter the holiest of all the basilicas in the world, you will start getting more acquainted with the stories, facts, and truths that people find interesting to learn whenever they have their trip in St Peter’s Basilica.
It was during the reign of Emperor Constantine that St Peter’s Basilica started to be built around 324 AD. The spot that had been chosen by Constantine was previously been a cemetery intended for pagans, including Christians. But it was only in the 15th century that the St Peter’s Basilica was rebuilt.
The reconstruction of St Peter’s Basilica started during Pope Nicholas V’s time wherein he asked architect Bernardo Rossellino to start expanding the old church. And as you always hear, the rest is history.
What You Shouldn’t Miss When You Visit St Peter’s Basilica
Here is a very good list to see when you will visit St Peter’s Basilica. This list will absolutely give you a head start.
1. The elliptical St. Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro)
2. The 25.5-meter-tall obelisk dated 13th-century BC Egypt
3. The monumental colonnade by Bernini
4. The 140 statues of saints
5. The colossal statues of Sts. Peter and Paul
And for some relevant information, St Peter’s Basilica’s dome was designed by Michelangelo himself. So you don’t have to be surprised about why the facade is such as beauty.
Surely, you will learn many more interesting things about St Peter’s Basilica when you conduct the trip yourself and you have to be prepared with massive information that you would treat as a treasure of a lifetime later on.
