Story
The story of St. Peter's Basilica
Below the high altar of this church, Catholic tradition places the tomb of Saint Peter himself. Construction began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626. It replaced Old St. Peter's, built in the fourth century by Emperor Constantine, and was shaped mainly by Bramante, Michelangelo and Carlo Maderno, with the piazza and fittings by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
It is the largest church in the world by interior measure. Cross St. Peter's Square, first oval then trapezoidal, and climb the steps past two 5.55-metre statues of Saints Peter and Paul.
Around the dome, look for the colossal statues of Longinus with his spear, Helena with the True Cross, Veronica with her veil, and Andrew. Surprisingly, it is not a cathedral, since it is not the seat of a bishop.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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