St. Peter's Basilica stands as the largest church in the world and the spiritual heart of the Catholic Church. Although it resides in Vatican City, it attracts millions of visitors from every corner of the globe. Furthermore, the massive dome dominates the Roman skyline and serves as a beacon for pilgrims. However, the building holds many secrets that casual tourists often miss. Explore these intriguing details about this Renaissance masterpiece.
Saint Peter’s Basilica
Surprisingly, none of the paintings on the walls of Saint Peter’s Basilica are actually paintings. Although they look like oil canvases from a distance, they are actually intricate glass mosaics. The Vatican Mosaic Studio created them to prevent damage from humidity and candle smoke.
A controversial pope stripped the bronze for the altar from the Pantheon. Pope Urban VIII ordered workers to melt down the ancient bronze beams from the Roman Pantheon to build the massive canopy. Consequently, Romans created the famous insult, “What the barbarians didn’t do, the Barberini did.”
The bronze statue of St. Peter has a worn-down foot. For centuries, millions of pilgrims have touched or kissed the right foot of the statue to ask for a blessing. Therefore, the toes have completely worn away, leaving a smooth, flat surface.
Michelangelo designed Saint Peter’s Basilica but never saw it finished. He took over the project at age 71 and worked on it until his death. Ultimately, his student Giacomo della Porta completed the construction and slightly altered the design to make it more stable.
The square contains a massive optical illusion. If you stand on a specific stone marker near the obelisk, the four rows of columns line up perfectly. Suddenly, the back rows disappear, and you see only a single row of pillars.
Builders discovered the actual tomb of St. Peter in the 1940s. For centuries, people believed the church stood over the apostle’s grave, but they had no proof. Finally, archaeologists excavated under the altar and found a tomb with the Greek inscription “Peter is here.”
Remarkably, the basilica is not the official seat of the Pope. While the Pope lives in the Vatican, his official ecclesiastical seat is actually the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. Thus, St. Peter’s holds a lower rank in the church hierarchy than St. John Lateran.
A mentally unstable geologist attacked the Pieta with a hammer in 1972. He jumped over the railing and struck the Virgin Mary multiple times, breaking her nose and arm. As a result, the Vatican now protects the masterpiece behind a thick wall of bulletproof glass.
The Holy Door opens only once every 25 years. Normally, builders seal this special entrance with brick and mortar from the inside. However, the Pope ritually smashes the brick wall to open the door during Jubilee years to grant forgiveness to pilgrims.
Unusually, the church took 120 years to build. Construction began in 1506 and did not officially end until 1626. Meanwhile, a succession of famous architects, including Raphael and Bramante, managed the project during that long century.
An optical illusion makes the dome look smaller as you get closer. From the Via Piccolomini, the dome appears huge when you stand far away. Paradoxically, as you drive toward it, the dome seems to shrink and recede into the distance.
The original architect earned the nickname “Master of Destruction.” Donato Bramante decided to tear down the ancient basilica that Emperor Constantine built in the 4th century. Consequently, many Romans hated him for destroying such a historic and holy structure.
Over 90 popes lie buried in the grottoes beneath the floor. Visitors can walk down into the crypts to see the final resting places of pontiffs from throughout history. Additionally, the tomb of Queen Christina of Sweden, one of the few women buried there, lies nearby.
The letters inside Saint Peter’s Basilica are much larger than they look. From the floor, the Latin inscription around the base of the dome appears to be normal size. In reality, each letter measures about seven feet tall to ensure readability from below.
Finally, the top of the colonnade holds 140 statues of saints. Bernini designed the massive oval square to symbolize the “maternal arms of the Church” embracing the faithful. To complete the effect, his students carved the massive statues that watch over the crowd.
