Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide St Peter’s Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro) is the largest of the four papal basilicas of Rome and one of the most important religious buildings in Christianity. Officially known as the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, it stands in Vatican City, at the western end of Piazza San Pietro. Although the basilica is located in Vatican City, an independent state, it is usually visited during a trip to Rome. Its position, close to Castel Sant’Angelo, the Tiber River and the historic center of Rome, makes it one of the most accessible and significant landmarks for visitors to the Eternal City. The basilica is often described as one of the largest churches in the world, both for its physical dimensions and for its role in Catholicism. It is the site of major papal liturgies and one of the most important pilgrimage destinations connected to the Apostle Peter. However, St Peter’s Basilica is not the cathedral of Rome. That title belongs to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the official seat of the Bishop of Rome. Saint Peter’s Basilica is instead a papal basilica closely connected with the Vatican, the papacy and the tomb traditionally Read more [...]
Tag: Giuseppe Valadier in Rome
Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo (People’s Square) is a large square in Rome, located at the foot of the Pincian Hill, near the Villa Borghese gardens. SHORT HISTORY Until the end of the 19th century, when it assumed its current shape, Piazza del Popolo was a modest square with a trapezoidal shape. At the time of the Napoleonic occupation, the architectural and urban aspect of the square was revised by the architect Giuseppe Valadier. Thanks to his intervention, the square assumed the current elliptical shape, completed by a double exedra, decorated with numerous fountains and statues. In 1818, Valadier removed the old fountain of Giacomo Della Porta, and replaced it with a new structure – four fountains in the form of lions, around the base of the obelisk. Valadier continued its work of renewal the square by arranging also the slopes of the Pincian Hill, connecting Piazza del Popolo and the hill with wide ramps, adorned by trees. ARCHITECTURE Piazza del Popolo houses three churches. Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo is the oldest one, located next to the gate with the same name, Porta del Popolo. The church was built in the 11th century by Pope Pasquale II, but Read more [...]
Flaminio Obelisk
The Flaminio Obelisk is one of the thirteen ancient obelisks of Rome, located in the center of Piazza del Popolo. SHORT HISTORY The obelisk was partially built in 1300 BC, at the time of Pharaoh Seti I, and completed by his son, Ramses II, in the 13th century BC. Then, the obelisk was placed in the Temple of the Sun from Heliopolis, in Egypt. In the year 10 BC, the obelisk was brought by ship to Rome, at the behest of Octavian Augustus, together with the Montecitorio Obelisk, and placed in the Circus Maximus. Augustus decided to keep the original dedication of the monument to the Sun, which for the Romans corresponded to Apollo, the tutelary deity of the emperor. He also added two identical dedications on the north and south sides of the base. Probably demolished during the barbarian invasions, it was found in 1587 together with the Lateran Obelisk, and erected again in 1589, by the will of Pope Sixtus V, in Piazza del Popolo. The works were supervised by Domenico Fontana. In 1823, at the behest of Pope Leo XII, the architect Giuseppe Valadier decorated it with a base with four circular basins and as many Read more [...]
