St. Peter's Basilica |
Vatican Guided Tours & Reserved Quick Access |
Book admission with QUICK ACCESS to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The booking includes commentary on the official app and admission to the Basilica through a special entrance!
Book a tour of St Peter's Basilica in Rome. The tour gives you admission to the Basilica without waiting in line and an approximately 1-hour tour by an expert guide!
Book a guided tour with a private guide to St Peter's Basilica and admire the Vatican Basilica's greatest treasures. Includes admission without waiting in line!
Inside the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square are the second most visited place in the world after the Vatican Museums. The icon of Vatican City, its immense fascinating heritage draws millions of visitors every year, pilgrims and tourists alike. Construction started on the Basilica we see today in the early 16th century. It was built on the foundations of the church that Emperor Constantine had built on the site where Saint Peter, Jesus's first apostle, was crucified.
The layout of the fascinating square changed throughout the 16th century. What today is a bright, open space shaped by the embrace of Bernini's colonnade was once covered by churches and oratories. Its 284 columns and 88 pillars give the area in front of the square its iconic look, awing the millions of tourists who come into the Vatican.
The dome of St. Peter's Basilica makes Rome's skyline among the most famous in the world. The dome was based on a design by Michelangelo Buonarroti, though he died before it was completed. When we walk into St. Peter's Basilica, we are overwhelmed by its gigantic proportions. Its 218 meters of length and 45 meters of height are clearly intended to convey the power of the Christian faith.
Inside are masterpieces of boundless value, prime among which is Michelangelo's Pietà. The young mother's features exude tenderness and despair as she holds in her arms her Son's body after it was taken down from the cross. Michelangelo's poignant work moves the millions of tourists who come into the Basilica every year. The sculptural group is all the more amazing considering that Michelangelo sculpted the Pietà at the tender of age of 24 on the commission of the French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères.
Another work of art definitely worth stopping to look at is Bernini's bronze baldachin. It is an unparalleled work of architecture and goldsmithery. The baldachin rises up from twisted columns, 11 meters high. Bernini is said to have used bronze from the Pantheon's pronaos to build the entire structure.
Admission to the Basilica with reservation lets you enter more quickly. You are given a state-of-the-art audio guide to listen on your own smartphone through an app. Otherwise, you can book a guided tour and take advantage of the knowledge of a licensed guide to learn all about the details, stories, and rises and falls of the popes, artists, and great figures who played key roles in the Basilica's history.
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