Saint Peter’s Basilica

After touring the Vatican Museum we finally got to go into the church part of the Vatican: St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s the largest church in the world, and the most opulent. Gold and marble cover most of the surfaces and it’s absolutely HUGE. The architecture and art are absolutely amazing!

There is tons of symbolism everywhere. The sculptures of people all have significance. The central figure on the roof is Jesus, with Saint Peter on the right.

The interior of the basilica was GORGEOUS! It was spacious, with high ceilings, marble statues, and gilded surfaces in all directions. The pagoda shaped structure near the far end is actually a huge scaffold in front of an altar(?)

This panoramic shot gives you a glimpse of the crossing corridors. (Did I mention it’s huge?)

This sculpture of Mary, Jesus’ mother, holding his body is very moving.

The domed ceiling was amazing! And SO high!

It was hard to take it all in, but I highly recommend trying.

Ellen Lindner