Rome

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St Peter’s (Basilica di San Pietro)

The current St Peter’s was consecrated on 18 November 1626 by Urban VIII, exactly 1,300 years after the consecration of the first basilica on the site. By the mid 15th century, the south wall of the original basilica was collapsing. Pope Nicholas V had 2,500 wagonloads of masonry from the Colosseum carted here, just to make running repairs. It took the arrogance of Pope Julius II and his pet architect Donato Bramante to knock the 1,000-year-old basilica down, which was done in 1506.

Following Bramante’s death in 1514, Raphael took over the work. In 1547 he was replaced by Michelangelo; he died in 1564, aged 87, after coming up with a plan for a massive dome. This was completed in 1590, the largest brick dome ever constructed, and still the tallest building in Rome. In 1607 Carlo Maderno designed a new façade, crowned by enormous statues of Christ and the apostles.

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