St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square, Vatican City

Greetings, friends of Architecture + Design! I am happy to have another occasion to share with you some architectural and historical information about the most emblematic monuments I visited during my trip to Rome a few years ago. Today I want to talk about St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City. It is a pleasure to remember with you and old photographs this extraordinary experience.

This sight was really special for me, since I was raised under the Catholic Christian faith and having had the opportunity to see the main seat of the church was something I only saw in my dreams since I was a child.

We started with the iconic St. Peter's Square, an open space that welcomed me to this complex. Piazza San Pietro, as one would say in Italian, is located in front of the basilica of the same name and marks the end of the avenue known as Via della Conciliazione.

The architectural style of this square is Baroque, and is formed by two parts, one in the shape of a trapezoid and the other in the shape of an oval, with an Egyptian obelisk in the center. The best view of the square in my opinion is from the outside of the dome of the basilica, from there you can also see the whole city and it is truly a delight for the eyes.

After the pleasant welcome that the square gave me, I went inside the Basilica dedicated as we already know to one of the most important Saints of Christianity. This monumental and beautiful temple is the most spacious in the world with almost 200 meters wide and 45 meters high. Its iconic dome can be seen from many points of Rome, being one of the four major basilicas located in the vicinity of the city.

The facade of the basilica is something that really caught my attention with its large columns and statues of Saints Peter and Paul on the sides. I spent some time walking around the outside of the basilica since I arrived a little before the doors of the temple were opened to the general public.

The architectural style of this work is Renaissance and Baroque; its construction took more than 100 years and involved architects of the stature of Michelangelo, Donato d'Angelo Bramante, Raphael Sanzio, Antonio da Sangallo, Carlo Maderno, Giacomo della Porta and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

I remember that during my visit I was amazed by the majesty of the temple and by each of the details that were in it, among them you can see works of art and sculptures by great artists.

The main altar is imposing and solemn, also along the temple there were other smaller altars from which Latin masses were celebrated at different times of the day.

Thanks for joining me here. I hope you enjoyed the images. See you next time with more world class architectural beauties.