ST. PETER’S BASILICA

Rome, Italy

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter is located in Vatican City. It has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites and has been described as the greatest of all churches of Christendom. It is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. According to tradition, he was first Bishop of Rome, and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica began in 1506 and was completed in 1626.

The church is associated not only with the papacy, with the Pope’s residence adjacent, but also with many artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. The building itself is physically awesome. It has a nave 650 feet long. The basilica's dome, designed by Michelangelo, is the largest dome in the world measuring 125 feet in diameter and reaching more than 450 feet high. The interior, which has 45 altars, is decorated by many famous artists. Some of the most important works in the church are the Pietà by Michelangelo (worth a visit by itself), the papal altar by Bernini, the Throne of St. Peter, also by Bernini, the Monument to the Stuarts by Canova and Bernini’s Colonnade.

This sketch was done during our Rome stop of the Mediterranean cruise. We stayed in Rome two days, and our younger son spent the night with a college friend studying in Rome. He barely made it back to the boat before we disembarked, scaring Mom and Dad. The sketch was a study of a grand building. It was chilly that day, so I bought a nice Italian sweater in a shop by the Basilica. I found a ledge across the plaza to sit on while I worked, since the sketch took a few hours. The ledge was under a porch, so the rain didn’t slow the work.