St Peter's Square In Rome

If you are fond of history, looking for a place to move for your holidays, you should have to choose Roma. Often, tourists rent an Appartement Vacances a Rome and directly go in Vatican City, a unique place in the world.

St Peters Square is found straight in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican town, the papal retreat within Rome.

Designed and built by Bernini between 1656 and 1667, during the pontificate of Alexander VII ( 1655-1667 ), the square is made from 2 different areas. The first has a trapezoid shape, marked off by 2 straight closed and convergent arms on every side of the church square.

The second area is elliptical and is encircled by the 2 hemicycles of a four-row colonnade, because, as Bernini claimed, considering that Saint Peters is just about the matrix of all of the churches, its portico had to give an open-armed, maternal welcome to all Catholics, confirming their religion ; to heretics, reconciling them with the Church ; and to the infidels, enlightening them about the true faith. Bernini had in fact drew up a three-armed portico, but after Alexander VIIs death, development of the portico was halted, and the third arm wasn't built. It might have enclosed the entire building and separated the ellipse from the Borgo quarter, so making a surprise effect for the pilgrim who all of a sudden found himself in the square. This effect was slightly accomplished by the buildings surrounding the square, the supposed Spina di Borgo, which naturally closed in the square. In 1950, via della Conciliazione, a new, wide street leading to the Vatican Basilica, was opened. It magnifies the majestic view of Saint Peters dome, but it also deeply changed Berninis original plan.

The measurements of the square are electrifying : it is 320 m deep, its diameter is 240 m and it's surrounded by 284 columns, set down in rows of 4, and 88 pilasters. Around the year 1670, Berninis pupils built 140 statues of saints, 3.20 m high along the balustrade above the columns. On both sides of the obelisk, which was moved to the middle of the square by Domenico Fontana in 1585, are two great fountains built by Bernini ( 1675 ) and Maderno ( 1614 ). Below, at the foot of the staircase in front of the basilica, the statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul appear to welcome visitors.

Of great interest is the Royal Staircase, which links the square to the Vatican Palaces. It was built between 1662 and 1666, and even though it essentially measures sixty metres, viewpoint devices, for example the progressive narrowing of the width and a reduced gap between the columns towards the top, cause it to look much longer.

On Sundays at midday, the pope customarily ( if he's's in the city ) appears at the second window from the right of the Apostolic Palace, to pray the Angelus and bless the bunch in the Square. So if you want to see the Pope, don’t hesitate more and find an Appartement à Rome right now.