On your trip to Rome, to assure that you see one of the most popular tourist sites, be sure to visit the Basilica di San Pietro which is more commonly known as St. Peter’s Basilica. But when laying out your schedule, understand that you can easily spend an entire day at St. Peter’s and will want to come back to see more of one of the most famous and popular tourist stops in Vatican City.

The popular lore says that Saint Peter is actually buried here but that legend is not backed up by evidence. The real history of the location of St. Peter’s is that it probably sits on the original Circus of Nero from the first century.

The site was selected for a basilica when Constantine, the Christian Emperor of Rome ordered one built there in the fourth century. That first building was constructed a thousand years before St. Peter’s was located there.

Some 1200 years later in the sixteenth century, it was Pope Leo X who diverted funds from his appeal to the masses to go to holy war against the Turks. Those funds were quietly applied to the building of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

As was true about huge construction projects in ancient times, it took many generations, many Popes and many architects over the decades before the basilica was completed late in the sixteenth century.

By medieval standards, St. Peter’s is a tall church towering 445 feet from the floor of the church to the cross that is on top of that well known dome. Roman citizens are very familiar with that dome decorating the skyline of the city because it is a masterpiece of architecture in every respect. That dome was designed by the famous artist and architect from the Renaissance, Michelangelo. It was he who took the San Gallo double-shell design and perfected it to fit the needs of St. Peter’s.

In 1546 Michelangelo took over as chief architect of St. Peter’s but he was not able to finish the job before his death. One of his students - Giacomo della Porta - was selected to take his master’s vision to completion. That design is so well known and admired that it has been used in many famous structures around the world, including the design of the Capital Building in the city of Washington DC.

That dome was a durable design and it was 200 years later that the first cracks showed up in the surface. To contain these cracks from doing any more damage, four huge chains of iron were attached to the inside of the shell. If you were to climb the winding stairs between the dome shells, you would still see those chains today.

That magnificent dome is not all there is to St. Peter’s Basilica. The interior space of the basilica covers six acres and it can accommodate 60,000 worshipers. And there have been several occasions where it was called upon to host that many people. The many Popes who have used St. Peter’s to minister to the church have drawn in such crowds.

The outer facade of the basilica is large as well, standing at 148 feet high and 377 feet wide and there are many statues gracing the outside of the building as well.

It is said that there are over one hundred tombs of famous historical figures inside the walls of St. Peter’s. One notable example is the former Queen of Sweden, Christina who in 1654 laid down her crown so she could have the freedom to become a Catholic.

But there is no doubt that the most well known art work in St. Peter’s is the awe inspiring “Pieta” by Michelangelo. But sadly it must be displayed behind protective glass because a lunatic tried to destroy it with an axe in 1972.

From the exterior of the basilica, there are a number of worthwhile historical things to look for.

For example, be on the look out for a number of ancient clocks including one with a bell that dates back to the late 13th century. But an artwork that is hard to miss is a huge Egyptian obelisk on display outside St. Peter’s that dates back to Nero’s Circus where it stood not far away during the same time period.

In the square, you will find two fountains both of which were designed by the famed artist Bernini. The southern fountain was created by the master artist in 1675. And to the apse of St. Peter’s you will find Bernini’s stellar fountain creation, The Triumph of the Chair of Saint Peter.

A trip to Rome would almost be incomplete without including at least a couple of hours to wander at your leisure taking in the majesty of this amazing display of outstanding architecture from the Renaissance period of history.