Tour Description:

St. Peter's Basilica is both the gateway and the heart of the Vatican City, an enclave of Rome. St. Peter's was until recently the largest church ever built and it remains one of the holiest sites in Christendom. Contrary to what one might reasonably assume, St. Peter's is not a cathedral - the cathedral of Rome is St. John Lateran. St. Peter's Basilica stands on the traditional site where Peter - the apostle who is considered the first pope - was crucified and buried.

The tour starts from the 25.5-meter-tall obelisk in the elliptical square that provides a fitting approach to the great church. The obelisk was brought to Rome in the 1st century to stand in Nero's Circus some 275 yards away. The square is outlined by a monumental colonnade by Bernini, its open arms symbolically welcoming the world into the Catholic Church. The grand façade is 116 m wide and 53 m high. The central balcony is called the Loggia of the Blessings, and is used for the announcement of the new pope with "Habemus Papum" and his Urbi et Orbi blessing.

The visit continues to the entrance of the Church where you will see the Holy Door, which is by tradition only opened for great celebrations such as Jubilee years. Once you will walk inside you will be just amazed. To say the interior of St. Peter's is impressive would be an obvious understatement, it covers an area of 23,000 m² (5.7 acres) and has a capacity of over 60,000 people.

In the main nave you will see the large round porphyry slab set into the floor. where Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Emperors knelt for their coronation in front of the high altar of the old basilica. Furthermore, you will see the markers with the comparative lengths of other churches, and 39 statues of founders of religious orders, and the bronze statue of St. Peter Enthroned by Arnolfo di Cambio.

The visit continues to the the right aisle, with Michelangelo's beautiful Pietà. The sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead Jesus in her lap after the crucifixion, and was completed when Michelangelo was just 24. After it was vandalized with an axe in 1972, the sculpture was placed behind protective glass.

At the crossing of the transepts is the central focus of the interior, the baldacchino. This monumental canopy shelters the papal altar and the holy relics of St. Peter. Made by Gianlorenzo Bernini of 927 tons of dark bronze (removed from the Pantheon's roof in 1633) accented with gold vine leaves, the baldacchino stands 90 feet (30 meters) tall.

Although the baldacchino and papal altar stand over Peter's tomb, the tomb itself can only be seen in the special Scavi tour of the ancient necropolis.

The tour continues to the Cathedra, the Papal Seat at the end of the church, and then to the Monuments to Alexander VII, the Stuard Family, Innocentius VIII, and the Baptistry.

The tour continues in the crypt underneath the church. It contains architectural fragments from the earlier church on the site and the tombs of many popes, including the simple tomb of John Paul II. At the end of the visit you can access to the dome enjoying a superb view of the eternal city.