St. Peter's Square in Rome is rightfully the most famous and popular among Christians and ordinary tourists. In Italian, its name will sound like Piazza San Pietro. The historical complex was built in honor of the key keeper of the paradise of St. Peter, so the panorama of the ensemble from a great height resembles a keyhole.
Architect of St. Peter's Square
The ideologist and creator of this great complex was the famous Italian esthetician and sculptor Giovanni Bernini. Born in December 1598 in Naples, in the family of an architect. Giovanni inherited from his father a talent for creation in the Baroque style.
At the age of 7, Bernini began making his first sketches. At that time, the Giovanni family moved to Rome, where Peter was one of the main revered saints. A year later, the young artist made a portrait of the great martyr, after which the boy was immediately christened the second Michelangelo. In 1614, Bernini created his debut sculpture dedicated to Saint Lawrence. Cardinal Borghese was so impressed by the plaster bust that he decided to take the young man to his villa and make him a personal artist.
Soon, Giovanni was knighted and became one of the best friends of Pope Urban VIII. There is even an opinion that Bernini was the chief adviser to Cardinal Barberini. Under such authoritative patronage, the young architect had the opportunity to freely realize his new grandiose ideas. It was during this period that he planned to decorate St. Peter's Square in the Vatican in the Baroque style.
In the middle of 1620, Giovanni had a family drama. For a long time he was in a relationship with the beautiful Constance. The spiritual idyll of two hearts was broken by the betrayal of a girl with his younger brother. Unable to stand the betrayal, Bernini beat Luigi until he lost consciousness, and after he gave the order to disfigure Constance's face beyond recognition. However, these crimes easily got away with the sculptor, as Pope Urban VIII stood up for him.
All this shook the psyche of Bernini, but here the church came to the rescue. The architect was commissioned to reconstruct St. Peter's Square. Bernini wanted to escape from mental anguish, and therefore happily agreed. In the summer of 1641, the first stone was laid in the construction of a new square.
Today, in honor of Giovanni, a crater on Mercury is named, and the image of his face flaunts on the
50-thousandth banknote of the Italian lira.
The uniqueness of St. Peter's Square
In 1663, the church complex in the Vatican was completely completed. Bernini, who led the construction, was beside himself with joy and pride in his project. Today, St. Peter's Square in Rome is considered the main architectural ensemble of Italy and, possibly, all of Europe.
The complex consists of two parts: oval and trapezoidal. Both squares are on the same axis with
St. Peter's Basilica. During the construction of the complex, Bernini took advantage of the so-called monumental saturation. So, the main square of St. Peter is surrounded by high powerful columns, standing in 4 rows. Ancient architects loved elliptical shapes, as they created a sense of mobility and instability. Giovanni used a similar baroque technique in his projects.
The center of the square is decorated with a grand Egyptian obelisk and two unique fountains in structure. The Bernini ensemble allowed the formation in a randomly built-up metropolis of a majestic monumental backdrop for church processions and other solemn actions.
One of the attractions of the complex is the Regina Scala, which was also created by Giovanni. It is the royal staircase leading to the Vatican Palace from St. Peter's Basilica. When designing the Rock, Bernini used the technique of an illusory perspective, so a person feels approximately as if he is in a theater. St. Peter's Square itself is divided by 8 makeshift paths. Thanks to this technique, a pronounced center in the form of the sun has formed in the middle of the complex.
Legend of the obelisk
Today, the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica is primarily notable for the centrally located 37-meter Egyptian stele, but this has not always been the case. There is a legend that in 1586, by order of the Pope, architects had to raise the obelisk by one meter high at any cost.
Dozens of men hardly pulled the stela to give it a vertical position. Suddenly, the ropes began to tear one after another, and the obelisk began to deviate more and more. The main architect of Fontana was scared, he did not know how to fix the situation. Then the legendary captain Breska came to the rescue. He ran to the workers and began to water the ropes, other people followed his example. Soon the ropes got wet, gained elasticity. As a result, the incident was settled, and by the end of the day the obelisk was placed on its rightful pedestal.
Today, one of the squares is named in honor of Captain Brex in San Remo.
History of St. Peter's Basilica
This architectural Catholic complex is considered the most important building of the Vatican. The square of St. Peter's Basilica is also the main ceremonial site of the entire Roman Church. Such iconic architects and artists as Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael and, of course, Bernini had a hand in its creation. St. Peter's Basilica is the largest Catholic church in the world. Its capacity is 60 thousand people.
In time immemorial, the decorative gardens of Nero were located at the construction site. The first version of the cathedral was built back in 326, during the reign of Emperor Constantine. Until the 15th century, it was never reconstructed, so the structure gradually collapsed. And only under Julius II a powerful palace was erected from the ancient basilica, given to the Catholic Church for service. Over the next century, legendary figures such as
Donato Bramante, Rafael, Peruzzi, Sangallo, Michelangelo, della Porta, Vignola, Maderno and finally Bernini made a hand at the cathedral.
Facade of St. Peter's Basilica
Its height is 48 m, and its width is almost 120 m. The attic of the facade is decorated with grandiose 6-meter statues of Christ, the eleven apostles and John the Baptist.
The only evidence and reminder of the ancient basilica are the doors of the main portal of the cathedral, which have been preserved since the 15th century. In total, 5 solemn entrances lead to the church. In front of the main is the famous Giotto mosaic called "Navicella", made in the late 8th century.
On the left side of the facade of the portal are the "Gates of Death". Their author was Giacomo Manzu. Work on the project went on for 15 years, until 1964.
Interior of St. Peter's Basilica
Inside, the building also impresses with its grandiose size and rich design. The central hair dryer stretches for 212 m. At the end of the basilica is the famous miraculous statue of St. Peter. The main dome stands on large columns, at a height of 120 m, and has a diameter of about 42 m.
Above the altar is a huge civorium, whose width is 29 m. It is installed on 4
decorative columns, on which the statues of the archangels stand majestically. Behind the ciborium is the department of St. Peter, designed by Bernini. Left and right, the altar is decorated with unique works by della Porta, Michelangelo, Cavallini and Giovanni himself.
Reviews on St. Peter's Square
Any tour of Italy should begin with this architectural ensemble. You can easily come to St. Peter's Square by metro or come on foot. As numerous reviews of eyewitnesses show, the first thing that strikes the eye is powerful columns on both sides of the complex. The main attraction - the Obelisk, near which there are always a lot of tourists, does not go unnoticed.
Entrance to St. Peter's Square is absolutely free, as is the Cathedral itself. If you wish, you can take the elevator to the bell tower for 7 euros, from where you can enjoy stunning views of the beauties of Rome. In the church you can not only sit on a bench and admire the interior, but also quietly pray.
Despite all this, the main advantage is that it is allowed to take photos of St. Peter's Square for free. Every minute on the territory of the complex, someone takes a selfie next to the majestic sculptures and architectural structures. Also near the square there are shops, restaurants and souvenir shops.
Interesting to know
The square of St. Peter's Basilica is one of the three most sought after church ensembles on the planet.
In 2007, the Vatican archivists found the last work of Michelangelo, which depicts sketches of one of the columns of the complex.
The altar of the cathedral from the very beginning was facing not to the east, as is customary in Christianity, but to the west.