St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica
Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican
Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano  (Italian) Basilica Sancti Petri  (Latin)
Main façade and dome of St. Peter's Basilica seen from St. Peter's Square
Location on a map of Rome Show map of Rome St. Peter's Basilica (Vatican City) Show map of Vatican City St. Peter's Basilica (Italy) Show map of Italy
41°54′08″N 12°27′12″E / 41.90222°N 12.45333°E / 41.90222; 12.45333
Location	Vatican City
Country	Holy See
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Tradition	Latin Rite
Website	St. Peter's Basilica
History
Status	Papal major basilica
Dedication	Saint Peter
Consecrated	18 November 1626
Architecture
Architect(s)	Donato Bramante Antonio da Sangallo the Younger Michelangelo Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola Giacomo della Porta Carlo Maderno Gian Lorenzo Bernini Carlo Fontana
Style	Renaissance and Baroque
Groundbreaking	18 April 1506
Completed	18 November 1626 (1626-11-18)
Specifications
Length	220 metres (720 ft)
Width	150 metres (490 ft)
Height	136.6 metres (448 ft)[1]
Nave height	46.2 metres (152 ft)
Dome diameter (outer)	42 metres (138 ft)
Dome diameter (inner)	41.51 metres (136.2 ft)
Administration
Diocese	Rome
Clergy
Archpriest	Angelo Comastri
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Vatican City
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv, vi
Designated	1984 (8th session)
Reference no.	286
State Party	Holy See
Region	Europe and North America

St. Peter's Basilica, which is called "Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano" in Italian, is a large church in the Vatican City, in Rome, Italy. It is often called “the greatest church in Christendom".^[2][3] In Catholic tradition, St. Peter's Basilica is believed to be the burial place of Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. It is believed that Saint Peter was the first Bishop of Rome.

Although the Bible does not say that the apostle Peter went to Rome, other Roman Christians who were alive in the 1st century AD have written about him.^[4] Catholics believe that after Peter was killed, his body was buried in a cemetery where the basilica now stands. A tomb has been found below the altar of the basilica, and there were some bones, but no-one can say for certain if they are the bones of St. Peter.

A church was built here in the 4th century AD. The building that stands here now was begun on April 18, 1506 and was finished in 1626.^[5] Many Popes have been buried there. Although many people think St. Peter's is a cathedral, it is not, because it does not have a bishop. The pope is the Bishop of Rome, and although he usually uses St. Peter's as his main church, because he lives in the Vatican, his bishop's throne is in a different church, the cathedral of Saint John Lateran. Large important churches like St. Peter's are often called basilicas. There are four ancient basilicas in Rome that were begun by the Emperor Constantine soon after he made Christianity the legal religion of the Roman Empire in the early 4th century AD (300s). The basilicas are St. Peter's Basilica, St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore and St. Paul outside the Walls.

St. Peter's is famous for many reasons:

• The pope, who lives at the Vatican, often says mass at St. Peter's.
• Many people go there on pilgrimage.
• It is said to be the greatest work of architecture of its age.^[6]
• It has works by many famous artists including Michelangelo and Bernini.
• St. Peter's is probably the largest Christian church in the world.^[7] It covers an area of 2.3 hectares (5.7 acres) and can hold over 60,000 people.

1. ↑ "The Dome". vaticanstate.va. Archived from the original on 2015-11-08. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
2. ↑ Banister Fletcher, the well-known architectural historian calls it "...The greatest of all churches of Christendom". p.719
3. ↑ "The greatest church in Christendom",Roma 2000 Archived 2008-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
4. ↑ "Was St. Peter ever in Rome?". Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
5. ↑ Columbia Magazine, April 2006, page 18.
6. ↑ Cite error: The named reference BF was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
7. ↑ The claim for Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro in Africa is based on a measurement that also includes other buildings.