With its 23.000 m2 , of which 15.160 can be walked on, with its 133,30 m height and 218 m length, the Basilica of San Pietro is awarded the first place in the ranking of the largest Catholic churches in the world. Since 1626 it has been the heart of faith Christian, the spiritual destination of tourists and faithful from all over the world.
The primacy is ours
The primacy, for a short time, had been taken away from her Notre Dame de la Paix basilica of Yamoussoukro, in the Ivory Coast. The Ivorian basilica extends for a total of about 30.000 m2 but the interior is of only, so to speak, 7.989. However, it beats St. Peter for its height: counting the cross on the dome it reaches 158 m, against the 133 of the church Italian company.
As for the capacity, there is no story. 60.000 people at the same time manage to stay in St. Peter's Basilica, while Our Lady of Peace can accommodate 7.000 faithful in the aisles and 11 in other annexed areas.
The dome that Michelangelo donated to St. Peter's Basilica
The height of the Basilica gives it the dome, emblem of the whole architectural complex. About 133 m high for a diameter of 41,50. You can reach the top, up to the golden lantern, by doing step on 537 steps. The approximately 14.000 tons estimated for the entire dome are supported by four huge pillars. Over 800 men worked hard on its construction, which came to an end in 1593. It was built by Giacomo della Porta, based on plans by Michelangelo, later revised by other architects, in just two years.
The exterior of Maderno and Bernini
The external facade of the Basilica, built between 1607 and 1614, is about 114 meters wide and 54,44 meters high. It includes two side clocks and two depicting statues Saint Peter and St. Paul, while on the balustrade those of the other 11 apostles are aligned with Jesus and John the Baptist.
The square in front, on the other hand, is the work of the great Gian Lorenzo Bernini. 115 meters wide and 54 meters high, the baroque square houses 284 columns, arranged in 4 rows, and 88 pillars. The 140 statues of saints stand out on the architraved colonnade.
A few notes on the construction of St. Peter's Basilica
In 318 AD the Emperor Constantine decided to have a Constantinian Basilica in honor of St. Peter built on the Vatican Hill. His will soon became a reality. Thus, in 319 work began on the first basilica, consecrated in 326 and completed in 349 AD It was, however, demolished in the time of Pope Paul V.
Only 1200 years later the Pope of the period, Julius II, decided to follow in the footsteps of Constantine and entrusted the project for the construction of a new Basilica, on the same ground as the previous one, to Donato Bramante. The names of the architects and artists of the Italian Renaissance who collaborated on it make your skin crawl: Michelangelo, Raffaello, Bernini, Sangallo, Maderno. The value of the Basilica and all the works preserved there is inestimable. The first stone, of a work lasting over 100 years, was laid in 1506. It was definitively rededicated in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII.
