St. Peters Basilica July 28 2011

Jessy with Sr. Stella our friend in Rome who was kind to be our guide and mentor in Rome.
She hails from Thodupuzha and is related to my family through her mother.
She along with her friends Sr. Philsy and Sr. Liset was instrumental in making our trip memorable.

One of the main objective of our visit was to see the Basilica of St Peter. This Basilica officially known in Italian as Basilica Papale di San Pietro is an art house of enormous proportion. This is the church we see on TV, the Pope celebrate Mass on special occasion. But unlike popular conception, this is not the Basilica of the Pope. That is San Giovanni in Merulana, a few minutes walk from San Pietro.
We are staying near it.

The picture above is our fight sight of this magnificent edifice, just as we step out of the Ottaviano Metro station. You can see the familiar dome rising above other Vatican buildings.




As Sr. Stella left for work Sr. Philsy, our new friend, took us around Vatican. She is from Pottenkadu. Here we are in the famous Square.
In fact they are in a new country now- Vatican. I take this photo from another, Italy.

The Basilica has a huge fore court called St. Peters' square. It is here the faithful gather to get a glimpse of the Pope.

Though it is neither the official mother church of the Catholic Church or the Cathedral of the Pope, St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites.

After the crucifixion of Jesus as  per the Biblical book of the Acts of the Apostles, that one of his twelve disciples, Simon known as Peter, a fisherman from Galilee, took a leadership position among Jesus' followers and was instrumental in the founding of the Christian Church. The name Peter is "Petrus" in Latin and "Petros" in Greek, deriving from "petra" which means "stone" or "rock" in Greek. പത്രോസേ നീ പാറ ആകുന്നു ഈ പാറമേല്‍ ഞാന്‍ എന്റ്റെ പള്ളി പണിയും
It is the burial site of St. Peter who was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus and, the first Bishop of Rome and therefore first Pope. Tomb of the saint is directly below the altar of the basilica.
This alter and the dome is the work of Michelangelo.


Michelangelo's Pieta. behind protective glass, which do not reflect camera flash.
I dare not add any comments here except that in my expectation it was a bigger work.
The sculptor has signed only two works- this one - with his name in script and the last singed as a picture of himself on a fresco. That is another story, which may come with my piece on Sistine Chapel.

Humbly before the crypt of John Paul II


The statue of Saint Peter, by Arnolfo di Cambio. On this ancient bronze statue, St. Peter has his right toes worn down by centuries of pilgrims who traditionally touch the foot. Here is our bit of contribution to this slow degredation. The popular belief- those who do this shall return to the Basilica again.


The Dome. The dome of St. Peter's rises to a total height of 136.57 metres (448.1 ft) from the floor of the basilica to the top of the external cross. It is the tallest dome in the world.

You can also climb the dome itself - is not free, but it's worth it- I paid 7 Euros. You have the option of taking the steps all the way to the top or elevator for part of the climb and then the narrow winding stairs for the rest, the former being a bit cheaper at Euro 5.


The elevator brings you to the bottom of the dome from where a small, long and mostly spiraling staircase brings you to the top of the dome.
From there you have a magnificent view of Rome and of the Saint Peter's Square in particular. The famous square with long symmetrical colonnades was designed by Bernini. It has a central obelisk and two identical fountains.


St. Peter's Square seen from the dome .

Vatican Gardens- from top.






In front of the only post office of Vatican city. Every mail from this post office is international. Several visitors are seen sending a picture post card to them self in their home address.



Vatican has a small town too. Ancient cobbled streets.


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Pantheon, built 2000 years ago