SAN PIETRO
Very few states in the world can boast a vestibule like that created by St. Peter's Square;this
extraordinary entrance gives the visitor a sense of serene and deep equilibrium.
As you enter the P.S. Pietro ,Bernini's colonnade draws you toward the church. Mussolini broad Via della Conciliazione , built in the 1930s to connect the Vatican to the rest of the city, opened a wider view of st. Peter's that Bernini had ever intended.
The vast proportions of the interior of St. Peter's Basilica leave us full of wonder.
The central aisle is 186 meters long and 46 meters high. One hundred and forty statuesperch above on the colonnade.
Those on the basilica represent Christ, Jhon the Baptist, and the Apostles (exept for Peter).
The Pope opens the Porta Sancta (Holy Door), the last door on the right side of the entrance porch, every 25 years by knocking in the bricks with a silver hammer.
The basilica itself rests on the reputed side of St. Peter's tomb. A Christian structure has stood here since the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the state religion in the 4th century.
To the right Michelangelo's Pietro has been protected by bullet-proof glass since 1972, when
an axe-wielding fiend attacked it,smashing Christ's nose and breaking Mary's hand.
In the center of the crossing under the dome, Bernini's bronze baldacchino rises on spiral columns over the marble altar. In the apse is Bernini's Cathedra Petri a baroque reliquary
housing St. Peter's original throne.
Appropriate dress is always required and monitored in the basilica.
Cover your knees and shoulders. No shorts, miniskirts, sleeveless shirts, or skimpy dresses are allowed, but jeans and t-shirts are acceptable for both women and men.
