Vatican City · 1506–1626
St. Peter's Basilica
Built over the tomb of the Apostle.
3D Architectural Explorer
An animated architectural diagram of the domed basilica type. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, select a numbered point to read its history.
Lighting the candles…
History
- Style
- Renaissance & Baroque
- Tradition
- Catholic
- Country
- Vatican
Rising over the traditional burial place of St. Peter, the basilica replaced Constantine's 4th-century church.
Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, Maderno and Bernini shaped it across 120 years.
Michelangelo's dome, completed by Giacomo della Porta in 1590, reaches 136.6 metres.
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano September 2015-1a.jpg), under its listed licence.
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