St. Peter’s Basilica

Subject: St. Peter’s Basilica 13/11/2010, 8:36 pm

St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the four Basilicas that Rome has. It is officially known as Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticanand it is located in the Vatican City of Italy. This is not a cathedralwhere the Bishops used to sit. This Basilica is where St. Peters wasburied and is a burial site for many popes who came after St. Peters.St. Peter was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and later became theBishop of Rome. The church in the Basilica has been present in thissite since the 4th Century. This site, because of its uniqueness,artistic beauty and historical association, attracts many visitors andpilgrims.Its history takes us back to the 1st century AD when Jesus wascrucified. One of his twelve disciples was Simon, known as Peter, whotook a good position amongst Jesus’ followers. St. Peters played greatimportance in founding and establishing the Catholic Church. Peter wasin the ministry for thirty years, after which he took a tour of theRome. He was executed in 64 A.D. He was crucified head downward as perhis request in the Circus, now known as the St. Peters Square.It is considered to be one of the holiest & the largest of allthe Catholic Churches of the Christendom. The main building is veryimpressive and stood 138 meters. Its passage is about 218 meter long.The interior consists of the Pieta by Michelangelo, Papal Altar byBernini and the Monument to the Stuarts by Canova.

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