St. Peter's Basilica

#21 - Rome, Italy

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For once, you won't mind spending hours and hours in a church.

It's the largest and most famous church in the world. If you haven't been here already, it's a must on our list. The basilica got its name from St. Peter who is buried within its walls. Donato Bramante was the first main architect to start the building of the Basilica, but many others were involved to make it the masterpiece it is today. You'll recognize Michelangelo's name, as well as Bernini and Canova's. A place of prayer, art, history and architecture "it's a bundle visit" everything in one.

Slide 1: Top of the St. Peters Dome

#1 St. Peters Basilica Photo - Brad Harbach
Slide 2: St. Peters Basilica Facade

#2 St. Peters Basilica Photo - Brad Harbach
Slide 3: St. Peters Basilica - Heavenly light

#3 St. Peters Basilica Photo - Karen Powers
Slide 4: St. Peters Basilica Cupola View

#4 St. Peters Basilica Photo - Brad Harbach
Slide 1: St Peter's Basilica cars night dome

by archer10 (Dennis)

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Quick Facts & History

St. Peters Basilica is the largest church in the world. Located in Rome, Italy, the Basilica spans across over 22,300 square meters (240,000 square feet), has a 218 meter (715 ft) long nave and includes 45 altars, 11 chapels and over 100 tombs (91 of which are for Popes).
The climb to the top of Michelangelos Dome at the Basilica is 491 stairs.
St. Peters Basilica contains the only work of Michelangelo that he ever signed. He did so after being outraged by another artist taking credit for one of his works, and after signing the sculpture Pieta, he vowed he would never sign another of his works again.
St. Peters Square in front of the Basilica is where crowds gather to see the Pope (especially on Sunday afternoons). The Pope appears at a window from the Basilica and blesses the crowd.
Michelangelo actually died before the dome of the Basilica was completed.

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Top of the St. Peters Dome
Ranked #1 by Brad Harbach

St. Peters Basilica Facade
Ranked #2 by Brad Harbach

St. Peters Basilica - Heavenly li...
Ranked #3 by Karen Powers

St. Peters Basilica Cupola View
Ranked #4 by Brad Harbach

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A Few Days in Rome and St. Peters

Blog: Quit and Travel

The inside of the Basilica is almost beyond words and it is one of the top 10 most impressive buildings I have ever walked through in my life. I remember when Will and I were walking through the Mezquita de Cordoba in Granada, Spain; I was overly impressed with the scale of the building and the intricate detail of the design. However, Will really wasn�t. We talked about it for a while and the conclusion we came to was that Will had seen more churches in Europe than I had, including St. Peters, and he swore that I would understand once I got to Rome and stepped foot into St. Peters. Well, Will ... read more

Submitted By: Brad Harbach

Submitted On: Apr 30, 2012

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