The
Vatican City, one of the most sacred places in Christendom, attests to a great history and
a formidable spiritual venture. A unique collection of artistic and architectural
masterpieces lie within the boundaries of this small state. At its centre is St Peter's
Basilica, with its double colonnade and a circular piazza in front and bordered by palaces
and gardens. The basilica, erected over the tomb of St Peter the Apostle, is the largest
religious building in the world, the fruit of the combined genius of Bramante, Raphael,
Michelangelo, Bernini and Maderna. Vatican City has been inserted from the Unesco in the
list of the world-heritage patrimony of the Humanity.
Statues, Saint Peter's Square (Piazza San
Pietro), Vatican City.
Bernini's Colonnades, Saint Peter's Square
(Piazza San Pietro), Vatican City. The Piazza of St Peter's was built by Bernini for Pope
Alexander VII in 1656-67. The classical style of the piazza is expressed in the colossal
Doric colonnades, four columns deep, which frame the trapezoidal entrance to the basilica
and the massive oval area which precedes it. Gian Lorenzo Bernini was born in Naples by a
Florentine family, he was perhaps the greatest sculptor of the 17th century and an
outstanding architect.
Obelisk, Saint Peter's Square (Piazza San
Pietro), Vatican City. The obelisk forty meters tall to the cross on its top, is of the
13th century B.C., it was moved to Rome in the 1st century to stand in the central spina
of the Circus of Nerone, which lay to the left of the present basilica. It was moved to
its current resting place in 1586 by the engineer-architect Domenico Fontana under the
direction of Pope Sixtus V.
A Swiss Guard (Guardie
Svizzere), Vatican City. The
Swiss Guard, the world's smallest and perhaps most colorful army, has been the chief
protectors of the Pope. Clad in Renaissance helmets and blue, red and yellow tunics (the
colors of the Medici family) that are said to have been designed by Michelangelo. For
routine work, the guards wear blue uniforms and berets. The Swiss Guard was founded in
1506 by Pope Julius II (Giulio II) as a stable and disciplined corps of regular Swiss
soldiers depending directly on the Holy See, for the guarding of the person of the Roman
Pontiff and the Apostolic Palaces. January 22nd, 1506, is the official date of birth of
the Pontifical Swiss Guard, because on that day, towards the evening, a group of one
hundred and fifty Swiss soldiers commanded by Captain Kasparvon Silenen, of Canton Uri,
passed through the Porta del Popolo and entered for the first time the Vatican, where they
were blessed by Pope Julius II.
Inside St Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San
Pietro), Vatican City.
Inside St Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San
Pietro), Vatican City.
Inside St Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San
Pietro), Vatican City.
Michelangelo's "Pietà", St
Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro), Vatican City. Michelangelo sculpted it in
1498-1499. The statue was commissioned by the French cardinal Jean De Billheres. The
statue was made for the cardinal's funeral monument, but was moved in St. Peter's Basilica
in the 18th century. In less than two years Michelangelo carved from a single slab of
marble, the most magnificent sculpture ever created. Going down the sash on the Virgin
Mary, Michelangelo carved his name: "Michel Angelus Bonarotus Florent Facibat"
(Michelangelo Buonarroti, Florentine, made this).
Michelangelo's "Pietà", St
Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro), Vatican City.
Inside St Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San
Pietro), Vatican City.
Inside St Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San
Pietro), Vatican City.
Inside St Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San
Pietro), Vatican City.
Inside St Peter's Basilica (Basilica di
San Pietro), Vatican City.
