Entering St. Peters Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica and Michelangelo's Pieta

<<< Go back to Part 1: St. Peter's Square and Plaza

As you enter St. Peter’s Basilica, it is hard not to be awestruck by its vast size and sheer beauty. Obviously, it was built to demonstrate the majesty of the Lord, God, and its sheer size is testament to this objective. For example, as you walk in you will see some very large statutes to the side. While beautiful in their own right, I mention them as a reference point on the incredible size of the interior space.

If you look up you will see writing and numbers that are carved into the upper wall just below the ceiling. While this text appears to be relatively small to the unaided eye, in fact the those carved letters and as tall as the large statutes you see to the sides as you enter St. Peter’s Basilica and the nave of the main sanctuary.

The Nave of Saint Peter's Basilica at Vatican City, Rome, Italy

While the interior size of St. Peter’s cathedral is awe inspiring, more of the smaller aspects of the St. Peter’s is even more beautiful and impressive. To your right a short distance is the Pieta by MMichelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni.

Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, Rome, Italy.

I was struck by how relatively tiny The Pieta seems. The Pieta is set back some distance from the viewer and is under lights. You must view the Pieta through thick glass, because in 1972 some wacko attacked the statue with a hammer declaring himself to be Jesus Christ. (I know his name, but chose not to repeat it here, because he deserves nothing in this world for his act of vandalism.)

Due to the actions of a single madman, the rest of public, both devout Catholic pilgrims and tourists of other world faiths, must now see the Pieta is less than desirable viewing circumstances. Nevertheless, even at a distance and seeming relatively tiny in comparison with the far grander scale of the Saint Peters Basilica interior sanctuary, the Pieta is still stunning in its beauty.

<<< Go back to Part 1: St. Peter's Square and Plaza

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