St Peters Square/St Peters Dome
ST PETERS SQUARE
Directly to the east of the church is St Peters Square (Piazza San Pietro), built during 1656 and 1667. It is surrounded by an elliptical colonnade, which was designed by Bernini. At it's center stands a 25.5 meter obelisk which dates back to the thirteenth century BC in Egypt. It was then moved in the first century to Rome, to Nero's Circus. On top of the obelisk used to be a large bronze globe, which legend has it contained Julius Caesar's ashes. This however was removed when the obelisk was moved to St Peter's Square in 1585 by order of Pope Sixtus V. The square was also home to two fountains, one to the south designed by Maderno in 1613 and one to the north designed by Bernini in 1675.
THE DOME OF ST PETERS CATHEDRAL
St Peters Square is also home to St Peters Basilica and of course St Peters Dome, which was created by none other than Michelangelo. Michelangelo had become chief architect by 1546 and by the time of his death in 1564 he had completed the drum, the base on which the dome sits. Architect Giacomo della Porta vaulted St Peters Dome between 1585 and 1590 with the help of the best engineer of the day Domenico Fontana. Fontana built the lantern the following year and the ball was placed in 1593. The double dome of brick is 42.3 meters in interior diameter, which is almost as large as the Pantheon and rising to 120 meters above the floor level.
The Dome of St Peters Cathedral is not a hemisphere but a paraboloid. It has a vertical thrust which is made more emphatic by the bold ribbing that springs from the paired Corinthian columns. These appear to be part of the drum but actually stand away from it to absorb the outward thrust of the dome's weight. The grand arched openings just visible in the illustration but normally invisible to viewers below enable access all around the base of the drum.
Above the main entrance is the inscription IN HONOREM PRINCIPIS APOST PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS PONT MAX AN MDCXII PONT VII. This means: In honor of the prince of apostles; Paul V, citizen of Rome, Supreme Pontiff, in the year 1612 and the seventh year of his pontificate.
Directly to the east of the church is St Peters Square (Piazza San Pietro), built during 1656 and 1667. It is surrounded by an elliptical colonnade, which was designed by Bernini. At it's center stands a 25.5 meter obelisk which dates back to the thirteenth century BC in Egypt. It was then moved in the first century to Rome, to Nero's Circus. On top of the obelisk used to be a large bronze globe, which legend has it contained Julius Caesar's ashes. This however was removed when the obelisk was moved to St Peter's Square in 1585 by order of Pope Sixtus V. The square was also home to two fountains, one to the south designed by Maderno in 1613 and one to the north designed by Bernini in 1675.
THE DOME OF ST PETERS CATHEDRAL
St Peters Square is also home to St Peters Basilica and of course St Peters Dome, which was created by none other than Michelangelo. Michelangelo had become chief architect by 1546 and by the time of his death in 1564 he had completed the drum, the base on which the dome sits. Architect Giacomo della Porta vaulted St Peters Dome between 1585 and 1590 with the help of the best engineer of the day Domenico Fontana. Fontana built the lantern the following year and the ball was placed in 1593. The double dome of brick is 42.3 meters in interior diameter, which is almost as large as the Pantheon and rising to 120 meters above the floor level.
The Dome of St Peters Cathedral is not a hemisphere but a paraboloid. It has a vertical thrust which is made more emphatic by the bold ribbing that springs from the paired Corinthian columns. These appear to be part of the drum but actually stand away from it to absorb the outward thrust of the dome's weight. The grand arched openings just visible in the illustration but normally invisible to viewers below enable access all around the base of the drum.
Above the main entrance is the inscription IN HONOREM PRINCIPIS APOST PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS PONT MAX AN MDCXII PONT VII. This means: In honor of the prince of apostles; Paul V, citizen of Rome, Supreme Pontiff, in the year 1612 and the seventh year of his pontificate.
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