Saint Peters Basilica

Saint Peters basilica sits at the heart of the Vatican City and when standing in Saint Peter's square the exterior, with features designed by greats like Michelangelo, is really something to behold, but the beige marble exterior is a plain and simple façade compared to what lies inside. Behind the doors lie a long hall leading to an immense and beautifully intricate bronze altar designed by Bernini himself. Just to the right there is perhaps Michelangelo’s most famous sculpture, his pietà depicting the virgin Mary holding her dead son Jesus. Beneath the Basilica lay the tombs of past popes, relics such as the cloth that Jesus was baptized with, as well as a piece of the

cross on which he was crucified. Perhaps most intriguing of all however, is the tomb of Saint Peter lies directly below the altar on the surface, and in every basilica prior to the present day one this has remained. Excavations have found the tomb but before that was possible the oral tradition taught where the tomb was the center of the church was placed on top. The magnificence of the basilica represents how the catholic church has become the most influential and prominent religion and perhaps the world. From a time when Roman Christians would be persecuted and killed to having the largest and most magnificent buildings in Rome.