[2025 Vatican Attraction] Travel Guide for St. Peter's Basilica (Updated Jul)

This cathedral is the largest and most magnificent Catholic church in the world. It was built in the 16th century and can accommodate more than 60,000 people. This church was designed by many well-known architects and artists of the Renaissance, including Michelangelo and Raphael. In the center of the church is a dome with a diameter of 42 meters and a height of about 138 meters, with a square in front. Church Overview There are a number of stone pillars standing around the front of the church and the square, each with a statue . There are five gates at the entrance of the church. From right to left, they are the Holy Gate, the Sacrament Gate, the Middle Gate, the Gate of Good and Evil, and the Gate of Death. Each gate is engraved with relief paintings of biblical characters or stories. The Holy Gate only opens on Christmas Eve every 25 years, the last time it was in 2000. Tourists usually enter from the middle door. If you are lucky, you can see the Pope praying for the public on Sunday. The main hall is divided into 3 passages by 6 stone columns, which are very wide. The arches between the giant columns are covered with various sculptures and decorations, which are extremely ornate. The interior of the three treasures church is simply a treasure house of art, which preserves the frescoes and sculptures of many artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael. Among them are three treasures not to be missed: Michelangelo's sculpture Lamentation of Christ, the bronze canopy by Bernini and the throne of St. Peter designed by Bernini. In the small hall on the right side of the gate is "Mourning for Christ" (Pietà, also called "Saint", "Piece of the Virgin"), which depicts the Virgin Mary embracing her dead son Jesus Christ, sad and solemn. Visitors can only watch through the railings and glass cover. On the altar below the big dome is the bronze canopy, which is supported by four spiral copper pillars nearly 20 meters high, which is as high as a five-story building. The center of the canopy is inlaid with white doves, and the four corners are carved with guardian angels. There are four phoenix-shaped copper columns above the canopy, the capitals are closed. The altar is surrounded by 99 ever-bright lights, and only the Pope can hold Mass on the altar. Inside the main hall is St. Peter's Throne, which consists of a large copper-plated wooden chair and a huge group of bronze sculptures radiating golden light. Above the throne, there are many cherubs surrounding the radiant sun pattern, which is a circular stained glass set with doves, which transmits sunlight. In addition to these three treasures, there are many cultural relics worth viewing in the cathedral. Many tourists will come to touch the right foot of the bronze statue of St. Peter, which is said to be blessed by God and bring good luck. There are 13 domes in the Dome Church, including 1 large dome and 2 medium-sized domes. The central one was designed by Michelangelo. The entrance is on the right side of the church entrance (there is a sign saying "Cupola", and an entrance to St. Peter's Tomb "Tomba"). After purchasing the ticket, You can also buy an elevator ticket and climb 320 steps about halfway up. The inner wall of the huge dome is divided into 16 petals by patterns, and each petal has 6 layers of fine stone mosaics, which are extremely delicate. The wall of the walkway under the dome is also covered with detailed mosaic tiles. Standing on the circular platform here, you can overlook the magnificent interior of the church, and the tourists below are very small. Go out from the small door of the dome and continue to climb the narrow stairs to reach the observation deck outside the dome of the main hall of the cathedral, which is a good place to enjoy the panoramic view of Rome.