St. Peter's Basilica
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"The sublime must be simple, the beautiful may be dressed and ornamented. A great height is equally sublime with a great depth but this is accompanied with shuddering, that with admiration; hence this feeling may be terribly sublime, and that nobly. The view of an Egyptian pyramid moves, as Hasselquist mentions, much more, than one can represent to himself from any description: but its structure is both simple and noble. St. Peter's Church in Rome is magnificent. As in its plan , which is simple and great, beauty, for instance, gold, mosaic &c. &c. , is so diffused, that the sentiment of the sublime acts the most throughout; the object is denominated magnificent. An arsenal must be simple and noble, a palace magnificent, a villa beautiful and decorated."--Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime (1764) by Immanuel Kant |
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The Saint Peter's Basilica is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal enclave that is within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initially planned by Pope Nicholas V and then Pope Julius II to replace the aging Old St. Peter's Basilica, which was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.
Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world by interior measure. While it is neither the mother church of the Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome (these equivalent titles being held by the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome), St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom."
Catholic tradition holds that the basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter, chief among Jesus's apostles and also the first Bishop of Rome (Pope). Saint Peter's tomb is supposedly directly below the high altar of the basilica, also known as the Altar of the Confession. For this reason, many popes have been interred at St. Peter's since the Early Christian period.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year both within the basilica or the adjoining St. Peter's Square; these liturgies draw audiences numbering from 15,000 to over 80,000 people. St. Peter's has many historical associations, with the Early Christian Church, the Papacy, the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-reformation and numerous artists, especially Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. St. Peter's is one of the four churches in the world that hold the rank of Major papal basilica, all four of which are in Rome, and is also one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop; the cathedra of the pope as bishop of Rome is at Saint John Lateran.
See also
- Architecture of cathedrals and great churches
- Architecture of Rome
- History of early modern period domes
- List of tallest domes
- Index of Vatican City-related articles
- List of basilicas in Italy
- List of oldest church buildings
- List of Roman Catholic basilicas
- List of tallest buildings in Rome
