Rome Guide
There were numerous requests from friends to resume my blog writing. There are many reasons I had to stop my blog sometime mainly because of my travels during summer and the non-accessibility of internet. But now I have decided to write a series of articles on the important attractions of Rome to help all those who wish to visit Rome one day and all those who cannot visit Rome but want to learn more about it. Many times I am embarrassed when the visitors knew more than I on certain historical places and it would be a learning process for me also. It can serve also as a tour guide for some of my friends. Most of the information is available online or in Tour Guide books but I may try to add a personal touch to these explanations. Since I am writing from a religious perspective it is not my intention to provide some historical information but to this is to increase my readers understanding on the great patrimony which we all share. Rome might be filled with tourists who walk through the magnificent churches marveling the architecture and beauty, but for Catholics it is always a pilgrimage to the footsteps of the apostles and the saints who sacrificed their life in transmitting that faith to each one of us. Even though I am tempted to give an account of the city of Rome and the Vatican City State, I postpone it for a later time to start with St. Peter’s Basilica.
St. Peter’s Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica is situated in the heart of Vatican and is one of the holiest sites not only for Catholics but the whole of Christianity. For us, only the Holy Land, where our Lord lived, is more sacred than Rome. This magnificent Basilica is built on the burial site of St. Peter, the head of the Apostles. After his conversion to Christianity, in 324 AD, Emperor Constantine commissioned the building of this basilica over St. Peter’s tomb. The first structure stood more than thousand years undergoing various modifications. The present basilica was completed mostly in its current form in the 15th and 16th centuries and is built in High Renaissance and Baroque style. Inside, the massive scale showcases some of the greatest Italian artists such as: Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo and Carlo Maderno had made their imprints by creating some of their masterpiece art works here.
The basilica has s a unique position in the Catholic tradition and is referred to as the greatest of all churches of Christianity. Since it is the burial place of St. Peter the first Pope, many subsequent Popes were buried here.
St. Peter's is a famous place of pilgrimage, not only for its historical associations, but also as a masterpiece of architecture. It is one of the largest Christian Churches which covers an area of 5. 7 acres (2.3 hectares), with a capacity to contain 60,000 people. Its dome is a dominant feature of the skyline over the city of Rome. Many Pilgrims make it a point to climb up to the top of St. Peter’s to have a view of the city of Rome from there. In the apse of the basilica there is an impressive monument the ‘Chair of St. Peter’ by Bernini which was originally a gift to the Pope by the French King, Charles the Bald in 875 AD. Opposite, in the first chapel on the right stands one of the Vatican’s finest treasures: the exquisite ‘Pietà ’ by Michelangelo, which is one of the best examples of the Renaissance human form. This statue was commissioned as a funeral monument for the French Cardinal Jean de Billheres and the only one Michelangelo ever signed his name.
In the right nave can be found a 13th-century bronze statue of Saint Peter by Arnolfo di Cambio. I have gone through this place several times touching the feet of the statue. It is believed that by kissing or touching the feet of St. Peter you receive special blessing and good luck. Many of the popes are buried inside St. Peter’s. Most recently Blessed John Paul II’s body was placed in the main Church when he was beatified, attracting many visitors and pilgrims.
In the right nave can be found a 13th-century bronze statue of Saint Peter by Arnolfo di Cambio. I have gone through this place several times touching the feet of the statue. It is believed that by kissing or touching the feet of St. Peter you receive special blessing and good luck. Many of the popes are buried inside St. Peter’s. Most recently Blessed John Paul II’s body was placed in the main Church when he was beatified, attracting many visitors and pilgrims.
