Day 7 - St Peter's Bascilica

It's an early morning today to get to the Bascilica before the crowds. Hopped on the Metro at 6:30, the Bascilica opens at 7:00. I arrived to a small line but nothing major. You'll see the crowds and the line at the end of my pics.

St. Peter's Bascilica is perhaps the holiest and most important church in Christian domestic. The location has long been considered Holy as the apostle Saint Peter is believed to have been buried here in 64AD. Peter is considered to be the first Pope abs so its place in Vatican City is fitting.

The first place od worship was established here in 320AD. The structure was enlarged by Alberti and Rossellino. Anew structure was created by Bramante in 1506. Rafael continued the project. He was followed by Peruzzi and later Michelangelo. Bernini worked on the church for 20 years and was responsible for much of the beautiful interior furnishings in the 1600s.

The Bascilica Latin cross floor plan has a 551 ft long Nave with 4 aisles and the ceiling is 150 ft high. There is a 446 ft high dome (thanks to Michelangelo) wgphich is 137 ft in diameter. In total the Bascilica 236,896 ft square and can accommodate 20,000 worshipers.

Before we enter the Bascilica we're going to climb to the top for view. There are two options, you can take the lift to the half way point and then climb 320 steps to the top. Or, you can climb the entire thing on foot, 551 steps. Yep, we're taking the stairs. It was steep, very narrow in spots, slanted to the curve of the dome as you climbed higher. And the last set of steps had only a rope that you pulled down on to climb up. Remember I said I was done with steps a few days ago, well I'm done with them now.Read more