St. Peter’s Basilica is the principal papal basilica in Vatican City, begun in 1506 under Pope Julius II and consecrated in 1626. Designed and completed by successive masters of the Renaissance and Baroque—including Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno, and Bernini—it stands over the site traditionally venerated as the tomb of the Apostle Peter and forms the focal complex of St. Peter’s Square.
Last updated November 20, 2025
St. Peter’s Basilica is a Roman Catholic major basilica in Vatican City, erected above the shrine traditionally venerated as the tomb of Saint Peter and approached by the monumental St. Peter’s Square. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, construction began on April 18, 1506, by order of Pope Julius II and the main structure was completed under Pope Paul V in 1615, with consecration on November 18, 1626 by Pope Urban VIII. Britannica. The UNESCO listing for the Vatican City notes that at the center of the enclave stands St Peter’s Basilica, the largest religious building in the world, the result of the combined genius of Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Maderno. UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
The site was previously occupied by Old St. Peter’s Basilica, a Constantinian five‑aisled basilica begun in the fourth century and replaced in the 16th–17th centuries due to structural decay. Britannica – Old Saint Peter’s. Julius II’s campaign for a new church opened with a centrally planned scheme by Donato Bramante; after Bramante’s death, design passed to Raphael and others before Michelangelo (chief architect from 1546) simplified the plan and designed the great dome. Britannica; Smarthistory – Saint Peter’s Basilica. Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana completed the dome in 1590 under Sixtus V, while Carlo Maderno (appointed 1607) extended the nave to create the present Latin‑cross plan and erected the travertine façade. Britannica; Vatican – Basilica Façade details. The consecration took place on November 18, 1626. Britannica.
Architecture and dimensions
The church combines a basilican longitudinal axis with a dominant centralized crossing under one of the world’s largest domes; the official site gives the dome’s total height as 136.57 m to the top of the cross. Basilica Papale di San Pietro – Dome height; Smarthistory – Saint Peter’s Basilica. Maderno’s façade—travertine with a giant Corinthian order—was constructed between 1607 and 1614; Vatican data indicate a height of about 45.5 m and width of about 116 m (without statuary). Vatican – Basilica Façade. The piazza, laid out by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667, consists of an elliptical forecourt with a four‑row Doric colonnade of 284 columns surmounted by 140 statues of saints. Vatican – Colonnade.
At the center of the square stands the Vatican obelisk, an ancient monolith moved in 1586 by Domenico Fontana at the direction of Pope Sixtus V; Vatican records describe the operation as involving 907 men, 75 horses, and 44 winches. Vatican – Obelisk (English). Within the nave and transept, the interior is densely articulated with marble revetments, colossal pilasters, and chapels framing major works of sculpture and bronze. Britannica.
The tomb of Saint Peter and the Vatican Necropolis
Beneath the basilica lie the Vatican Grottoes and, deeper, an excavated Roman necropolis (scavi) where excavations in the 1940s exposed first–fourth‑century mausolea and a revered locus of Peter’s memory; visits are administered directly by the Fabbrica’s Ufficio Scavi. Britannica; Ufficio Scavi – official site. The Vatican World Heritage description emphasizes the continuity from Constantine’s basilica to the present church and the site’s role as a primary Christian pilgrimage center. UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Liturgical function, jubilees, and the Holy Door
Although many major papal liturgies occur at St. Peter’s due to its size and proximity to the Apostolic Palace, it is distinct from the Lateran cathedral; the basilica’s Holy Door is ritually opened in Jubilee years. Britannica. For the 2025 Jubilee (“Pilgrims of Hope”), Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St. Peter’s on December 24, 2024, inaugurating the year per the traditional rite. USCCB/CNS report; Vatican News.
Finance and the early Reformation context
In the early 16th century, indulgence campaigns associated with Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz, authorized by Pope Leo X, allocated revenue partly toward the rebuilding of St. Peter’s; the preaching of Johann Tetzel in this context helped provoke Martin Luther’s 1517 protest. Britannica – Johann Tetzel; The Morgan Library & Museum – Indulgence for St Peter’s, 1515.
Measurements and selected data (official sources)
The basilica gives key metrics as c. 187 m in overall length and 136.57 m to the apex of the dome’s cross; the façade dimensions recorded by the Vatican are c. 45.5 m in height (without statues) and c. 116 m in width. Basilica Papale di San Pietro – FAQ; Basilica Papale di San Pietro – Dome height; Vatican – Basilica Façade. Bernini’s colonnades contain 284 columns with 140 statues above, as specified by the Vatican’s colonnade dossier. Vatican – Colonnade. The Vatican’s obelisk notice confirms the 1586 relocation by Domenico Fontana and its central liturgical‑symbolic role in the square. Vatican – Obelisk.
St. Peter’s Basilica is the principal papal basilica in Vatican City, begun in 1506 under Pope Julius II and consecrated in 1626. Designed and completed by successive masters of the Renaissance and Baroque—including Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno, and Bernini—it stands over the site traditionally venerated as the tomb of the Apostle Peter and forms the focal complex of St. Peter’s Square.
Last updated November 20, 2025
St. Peter’s Basilica is a Roman Catholic major basilica in Vatican City, erected above the shrine traditionally venerated as the tomb of Saint Peter and approached by the monumental St. Peter’s Square. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, construction began on April 18, 1506, by order of Pope Julius II and the main structure was completed under Pope Paul V in 1615, with consecration on November 18, 1626 by Pope Urban VIII. Britannica. The UNESCO listing for the Vatican City notes that at the center of the enclave stands St Peter’s Basilica, the largest religious building in the world, the result of the combined genius of Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Maderno. UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
The site was previously occupied by Old St. Peter’s Basilica, a Constantinian five‑aisled basilica begun in the fourth century and replaced in the 16th–17th centuries due to structural decay. Britannica – Old Saint Peter’s. Julius II’s campaign for a new church opened with a centrally planned scheme by Donato Bramante; after Bramante’s death, design passed to Raphael and others before Michelangelo (chief architect from 1546) simplified the plan and designed the great dome. Britannica; Smarthistory – Saint Peter’s Basilica. Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana completed the dome in 1590 under Sixtus V, while Carlo Maderno (appointed 1607) extended the nave to create the present Latin‑cross plan and erected the travertine façade. Britannica; Vatican – Basilica Façade details. The consecration took place on November 18, 1626. Britannica.
Architecture and dimensions
The church combines a basilican longitudinal axis with a dominant centralized crossing under one of the world’s largest domes; the official site gives the dome’s total height as 136.57 m to the top of the cross. Basilica Papale di San Pietro – Dome height; Smarthistory – Saint Peter’s Basilica. Maderno’s façade—travertine with a giant Corinthian order—was constructed between 1607 and 1614; Vatican data indicate a height of about 45.5 m and width of about 116 m (without statuary). Vatican – Basilica Façade. The piazza, laid out by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667, consists of an elliptical forecourt with a four‑row Doric colonnade of 284 columns surmounted by 140 statues of saints. Vatican – Colonnade.
At the center of the square stands the Vatican obelisk, an ancient monolith moved in 1586 by Domenico Fontana at the direction of Pope Sixtus V; Vatican records describe the operation as involving 907 men, 75 horses, and 44 winches. Vatican – Obelisk (English). Within the nave and transept, the interior is densely articulated with marble revetments, colossal pilasters, and chapels framing major works of sculpture and bronze. Britannica.
The tomb of Saint Peter and the Vatican Necropolis
Beneath the basilica lie the Vatican Grottoes and, deeper, an excavated Roman necropolis (scavi) where excavations in the 1940s exposed first–fourth‑century mausolea and a revered locus of Peter’s memory; visits are administered directly by the Fabbrica’s Ufficio Scavi. Britannica; Ufficio Scavi – official site. The Vatican World Heritage description emphasizes the continuity from Constantine’s basilica to the present church and the site’s role as a primary Christian pilgrimage center. UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Liturgical function, jubilees, and the Holy Door
Although many major papal liturgies occur at St. Peter’s due to its size and proximity to the Apostolic Palace, it is distinct from the Lateran cathedral; the basilica’s Holy Door is ritually opened in Jubilee years. Britannica. For the 2025 Jubilee (“Pilgrims of Hope”), Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St. Peter’s on December 24, 2024, inaugurating the year per the traditional rite. USCCB/CNS report; Vatican News.
Finance and the early Reformation context
In the early 16th century, indulgence campaigns associated with Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz, authorized by Pope Leo X, allocated revenue partly toward the rebuilding of St. Peter’s; the preaching of Johann Tetzel in this context helped provoke Martin Luther’s 1517 protest. Britannica – Johann Tetzel; The Morgan Library & Museum – Indulgence for St Peter’s, 1515.
Measurements and selected data (official sources)
The basilica gives key metrics as c. 187 m in overall length and 136.57 m to the apex of the dome’s cross; the façade dimensions recorded by the Vatican are c. 45.5 m in height (without statues) and c. 116 m in width. Basilica Papale di San Pietro – FAQ; Basilica Papale di San Pietro – Dome height; Vatican – Basilica Façade. Bernini’s colonnades contain 284 columns with 140 statues above, as specified by the Vatican’s colonnade dossier. Vatican – Colonnade. The Vatican’s obelisk notice confirms the 1586 relocation by Domenico Fontana and its central liturgical‑symbolic role in the square. Vatican – Obelisk.
