St. Peter's Basilica: History, Architecture, and Influence

This essay provides a detailed examination of St. Peter's Basilica, exploring its historical context, architectural design, and artistic influences. The essay begins by outlining the basilica's significance as a major work of Christian architecture and its location in Vatican City. It then delves into the historical background, including the roles of key figures such as Michelangelo and Bernini, and the influence of Renaissance and Baroque styles. The essay analyzes the architectural features of the basilica, including its cruciform shape, interior design, and the iconic dome. Furthermore, it discusses the historical importance of the artworks and installations within the basilica, such as the Pieta and Baldacchino, and how they reflect Christian faith and culture, as well as the impact of the rise of the new Italian era. The essay concludes by highlighting the basilica's status as a masterpiece of architecture and its enduring influence on Western art and culture.

Running head: ST. PETER’S BASILICA- HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE
St. Peter’s Basilica- History and Architecture
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ST. PETER’S BASILICA- HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE
The Basilica Papale di san Pietro, known as St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City is
the most famous Christian architecture and one of the holiest sites of Catholic Christian
world. It is situated in the heart of the Vatican City, across the river Tiber. It dates back to
Roman architecture of the early Christian art period. It is built above the burial site of St.
Peter, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ and the first Bishop of the Christian tradition.
The Basilica can be regarded as a significant chapter of Western history. It was designed by
the legendary artist and architect Michelangelo. Later, it was developed by Bernini, who was
another canon of western architect. The Basilica is an example of Renaissance architecture. It
also has a fusion of Baroque style due to Bernini’s influence (Roth, 2018). The present essay
deals with the architecture of St. Peter’s Basilica as an example of 16th century canonical
structure and how it is influenced by the previous history.
St. Peter’s Basilica has an immense historical importance. The current site is a rebuilt
and refurbished structure of the old St. Peter’s Basilica, erected by Emperor Constantine in
the 4th century. Initially, Pope Julius II commissioned Donato Bramante to rebuild the
Basilica. He broke ground with Bramante’s designs on April 18, 1506 (Temple, 2016).
However, Bramante passed away even before he could start the structure. The project
eventually passed on to a number of artists and architects such as Giuliano da Sangallo,
Raphael, Giocondo, Sansovino and Baldassarre Peruzzi (Koenigsberger, 2014). Finally,
Michelangelo was charged with the architecture and artworks of the Basilica. He did the
major work and oversaw the construction for 18 years from 1546 to 1564. He redesigned the
dome in 1547 (Hibbard, 2018). Apart from the design and architecture, Michelangelo also did
some of the notable artworks in the Basilica. The most famous one is the Pieta, the statue of
Virgin Mary.
After Michelangelo, Bernini did a great deal of artworks and designing. He infused
his signature Baroque style in the making of the Basilica. The most famous of his works in

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the Basilica is Baldacchino, which is a large cloth-like canopy, supported by 4 pillars of 60
feet height. The canopy is entirely made out of cast bronze and is placed over the cross on St.
Peter’s tomb. He also made the “Cathedral Petri” or the “Throne of St. Peter”. The designing
and works of Bernini ended in 1666 (Elling, 2019). There are several other master
architecture and artists such as Fontana, Giacomo della Porta and Maderno who worked
toward the completion of the Basilica (Panofsky, 2018).
Thus, the Basilica can be regarded by one of the most notable architecture in the
history of Western world, especially in the Catholic Christendom. It is canonical for its
designers and architecture as well as its influence on church architecture all over the world.
The architecture of the Basilica comprises of unique structure and styles contributed
by a number of legendary artists. It is built out of travertine stone and is 452 feet high, 730
feet in length, 500 in width and an interior length of approximately 695 feet. It covers an area
of 2.3 hectares. The original plan of Bramante included a giant cross standing on the altar of
St. Peter. The cruciform shape forms the nave of the Basilica, which is framed by elongated
aisles providing the access to numerous chapels, namely the Clementine Chapel, the Chapel
of Madonna and Colonna, the Chapel of Pieta, the Gregorian Chapel etc. The interior is
adorned with several artworks installations of marble and bronze (James-Chakraborty, 2014).
The exterior is also of fascinating design. At the approach of the Basilica is St. Peter’s
Square. It is an elliptical forecourt encircled by a Doric colonnade, inspired by Greek
architecture (Calabi, 2017). The façade at the end of the square, 376 feet wide and 150 feet
high, is comprised of a series of Corinthian columns, each 90 feet high and at the top of it sit
13 statues- Jesus Christ and his 11 Apostles along with John the Baptist. Behind the façade
there is a long portico or narthex, a structure commonly found in Italian churches. At the
ground level there are statues of Saints Peter and Paul. The most significant structure of the

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ST. PETER’S BASILICA- HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE
Basilica is its massive dome, the largest dome of the world that rests on four 60 feet thick
pendentives and piers. Beneath the Basilica, there are some 100 tombs and numerous relics of
former Popes. Under the niches of the four piers, there are several statues associated with the
relics and spirit of the Basilica (Anderson, 2013).
The Basilica is awe-inspiring in its structure and appearance. It has great historical
and architectural value. Every year, people all over the world flock down to the Vatican City
to visit the Basilica and urbi et orbi, the ceremony of the Pope’s blessing to the city of Rome
and the world ((McKitterick et al., 2013). It was the masterpiece idea of Bernini to represent
the building as a theatre in front of a grand audience. The façade looks like the centre stage
with the Pope standing in it with his arm raised in blessing, while the square serves as the
arena or the auditorium. It stands erect in the face of several centuries now. However, the
architecture is influenced and impacted by the preceding European history of its time. First of
all, the deputation of the architects and artists to design the Basilica was screened and
controlled by Fabbrica di San Petro or the Fabric of St. Peter. It is an institution of Roman
Catholic Churches responsible for the conservation and maintenance of the Basilica (Burke,
2014). It was of prime importance to the Fabric to retain the Christian tradition in the design
of the new Basilica. Therefore, all the artworks and installations inside the Basilica is
influenced by the history and myths of Christendom.
The architecture of the Basilica is described as a product of High Renaissance. This
relates the Structure to the preceding history of Italy as well as Roman culture. In the
beginning of the 16th century, Rome was the artistic capital of Italy. The rise of Rome also
marked the decline of three influential Italian cities- Florence, Milan and Urbino. At that
juncture of time, Rome had no notable artists of its own and hence, commissioned masters all
over Italy to build the new city (Burke, 2014). This marked a confluence of different styles
and cultures. St. Peter’s Basilica is one such example of fusion, an amalgamation of

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ST. PETER’S BASILICA- HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE
Renaissance and Baroque style. Besides, there was a trend of introducing new styles in art
during the initiation of the Basilica. The new papal buildings like the façade in front of the
Vatican Palace and Cortile del Belvedere already announced a break from the early
Renaissance style. They were referred as the symbols of new High Renaissance genre.
Bramante introduced the same style into the designs of St. Peter’s Basilica. This building
retains the traditional style of being composed of two perfect abstract geometrical forms- the
hemisphere and the cylinder, although it introduced the new High Renaissance pattern of
niches and cubicle dimensions (Anderson, 2013).
Apart from the building and its design, the artworks in the Basilica also depict their
root in history. Pieta by Michelangelo and the Throne of St. Peter or even Baldacchino are all
influenced masterpieces influenced by Christian faith and culture. The numerous statues and
relics tell the story of Jesus Christ and his Apostles and the previous Popes that served the
Vatican. The Pieta, carved out of Carrara marble, is a perfect example of Christian faith as
well as Renaissance style. Its unique feature is the voluminous drapes gathered on Virgin
Mary that makes it look so large and exquisite. The multi-layered and multi-figured
sculptures such as this is a fine example of Renaissance style, preferred by other Renaissance
artists, notably by Leonardo da Vinci. The Baldacchino on the other hand, depicts the
tradition of Italian culture. This canopy-style covers were often used in the ceremonies to
over the Pope’s crown. It is a common custom in Italy (Reno, 2019).
The paintings and the relics inside the building are mostly the copies of the originals
from the old Basilica. The floor, with an exquisite marble pattern, has retained some of the
old world charm as well. The red porphyry disc, situated near the central door is a piece of
history itself. Emperors were crowned standing on that disc (Reno, 2019).

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Hence, the building of the St. Peter’s Basilica is regarded as a masterpiece of
architecture. It is a result of European Renaissance that produced some of the major artworks
in the world history. Certainly, it retains the Catholic tradition in its components and reflects
Christian faith and culture. However, it is revolutionary in terms of its presentation and
design. It is influenced by the rise of new Italian era, the emergence of new masters in the
field of art and architecture. The essence of its architecture is that of High Renaissance,
which was prevalent at its time and was widely patronized by the Vatican. Thus, it remains
faithful to its preceding history.

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