St. Peter's Basilica | |
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Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican | |
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41°54′08″N 12°27′12″E / 41.90222°N 12.45333°E | |
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) | |
Style | Renaissance and Baroque |
Groundbreaking | 18 April 1506 |
Completed | 18 November 1626 |
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 |
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:
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