St. Peter's Basilica & Vatican City

Overview

St. Peter's Basilica is a prominent church and the centerpiece of Vatican City, an independent microstate in the city of Rome. The basilica is built over the site venerated as the tomb of Saint Peter, whom Catholics recognize as the first pope and leader of Jesus Christ's apostles. As the principal church of Roman Catholicism and the pope's liturgical home, St. Peter's is one of the most sacred sites in Christianity, attracting millions of pilgrims and visitors annually.

Present

St. Peter's Basilica is located in Vatican City, an independent state governed by the pope as head of the Catholic Church. It is administered by the Holy See, the central governing body of the Catholic Church. It is one of the four major papal basilicas of Rome and the church where the pope leads the principal celebrations of the Catholic year, including Christmas and Easter Masses, canonisations of new saints, the funerals of popes, and the inaugural Mass that begins a new pope's ministry. Daily Mass and confession take place inside, and millions of pilgrims and visitors come throughout the year. One of the basilica's doors, the Holy Door, is opened only during a Jubilee, a holy year held by the Catholic Church every 25 years. Vatican City is also home to the Vatican Museums and the pope's residence and offices, and the basilica opens onto St. Peter's Square, the large oval piazza where crowds gather for papal addresses.

Religious Significance

St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most significant churches in Roman Catholic Christianity and a focus of Catholic worship and pilgrimage worldwide. St. Peter's Basilica draws its significance from Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, whom Catholics regard as the first pope and the leader Jesus appointed over the early Church. Catholic tradition holds that Peter was executed in Rome in the 1st century and buried on the spot, and that the basilica's high altar stands directly above his grave. Each pope is understood by Catholics to be Peter's successor, which makes the basilica built over his tomb the symbolic heart of the papacy. Pilgrims come to pray at the tomb, to attend Mass led by the pope, and to receive the spiritual benefits the Church attaches to a Jubilee year. The basilica also holds the Chair of Saint Peter, a relic enclosed within a bronze monument that for Catholics represents the teaching authority handed down through the popes.

History & Structure

St. Peter's Basilica occupies the site of an earlier church, built in the 4th century by the Roman emperor Constantine, the first emperor to support Christianity, over what was venerated as Saint Peter's grave. A new church, the basilica, was completed in 1626, followed by the construction of St. Peter's Square that was completed in 1667. It is built of stone on a vast scale in the shape of a cross and is crowned by a tall dome that rises above the centre and is visible across Rome. Vatican City, including the basilica, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Resources

• Official website: Basilica di San Pietro
• UNESCO: Vatican City