Located
right in front of St. Peter’s Bascilica
is St. Peter’s Square (Piazza St.
Pietro in Italian). Designed by Gia Lorenzo
Bernini, the square mixes Baroque with
Classical styles to give the viewer a
truly dazzling spectacle. The basilica
is built on the foundations of a paleo-Christian
Church, which is believed to be built
over the tomb of the Martyred Apostle
Peter. If one goes even farther back the
in history the site was known as Nero’s
Circus, which hosted many of the carnal
events that served as entertainment in
ancient Rome.
The square itself is surrounded by two
Doric colonnades, which are the “wall
like” structures around the edges
of the space. These frame the trapezoidal
entrance to the basilica, as well as accentuate
the massive oval area in front of the
St. Peter's Basilica. In fact no better
examples of ancient Doric colonnades exist
in the known world, with most having fallen
into ruin long ago. The colonnade has
88 piers and 284 pillars, and is surmounted
by the statues of 162 saints.
In
the center of the square is an Egyptian
obelisk that is older than the Basilica,
the church it replaced, and maybe even
older than Rome. The obelisk, which dates
back to 13th century B.C., was moved to
Rome in the first century to stand at
the center of Nero’s Circus. Pope
Sixtus V moved the obelisk to its current
resting place in 1585, and its shape was
designed into the Piazza so that it served
as a center piece. Bernini added a fountain
at its base in 1675, which keeps it out
of reach of the thousands of hands that
might wear away its surfaces every year.
St.
Peter's Square Travel Links |
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