Basilique Saint-Pierre du Vatican

Cité du Vatican

It is not the cathedral of Rome — that title belongs to Saint John Lateran — but it is the largest building in Christendom, and the most contested building site in the history of architecture: Bramante in 1506, then Giuliano da Sangallo, Raphael, Peruzzi, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Michelangelo from 1547, della Porta and Fontana for the dome, Maderno for the nave and facade, Bernini for the interior and the square. One hundred and twenty years, ten master builders, a design redrawn at every succession. Beneath the paving lies a Roman necropolis of the 1^st to 4^th century, excavated from 1940 to 1949, and the memory of the circus built under Caligula and then opened to the public by Nero.

Getting there : Free admission to the basilica, security check and suitable dress required; necropolis excavations by reservation

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound