St Peter's Basilica (Italian: Basilica di San Pietro) is a Catholic church and basilica major at St Peter's Square in Vatican City. The church was built between 1506 and 1626 in late Renaissance and Baroque architecture on the site of the former Circus of Nero in Rome, where, according to tradition, the apostle and first pope, Peter, was crucified and buried. An important place of pilgrimage for Catholics, it is considered the first of Rome's seven pilgrim churches, and St Peter's Basilica was the largest church in the world until 1989, when it was surpassed in size by the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Paix in Yamoussoukro, the capital of the Ivory Coast. Emperor Constantine the Great ordered the first St Peter's Church to be built. Construction started between 318 and 322 and lasted about 30 years. The building was in the shape of a basilica, a common shape in antiquity. The exterior includes the square in front of the basilica, Piazza San Pietro (St Peter's Square), which was designed by Bernini, as well as the colonnades symbolising the motherly arms of the Catholic Church. The square is an ellipse, one of the favourite ground forms from the movable Baroque period.
- Dutch photographer
- Travel, Nature and Portrait photography are my passions
- Travel blog: www.ratnabosch.nl
- More on Instagram + Twitter: @ratnabosch..
Read more…