St Peter's Basilica

Hands down, the Catholics do know how to decorate a church.  We saw this repeatedly during our tours in Rome and other locations.  St. Peter's Basilica is beautiful.

 Front entrance

St Peter's Square Obelisk

St Peter's Square fountain

The doors were massive and looked heavy.

The Jubilee or Holy Year door.  Only the Pope is allowed to open it and he uses a hammer as it is brick and mortar on the inside.  Last opening  was December, 1999 for the year 2000.  Next scheduled opening is for the year 2025.  However, the Pope can declare a special holy year and open it sooner if he chooses.

One of the statues on the side of St. Peter's walking to it from the Vatican Museum.

Inside...

The dome over the altar.

St. Peter's main altar.  The candles are huge and I have no doubt, heavy.

The canopy over the altar

Stairs under the altar going to the catacombs.

 Several niches exist and each one has a massive sculpture and usually a sarcophagus.

Michelangelo's Pieta.  In 1972(?), someone defaced it with a geologists hammer and chipped off several pieces before guards could get him stopped.  Sadly, people in the church took pieces for souvenirs.  The Pope requested the pieces be returned anonymously and without consequences so artists could repair it.  Most pieces were returned but part of Mary's nose never came back and the restoration for her current one is from a piece of marble in her back.  Thus the glass covering protecting the sculpture (and screwing up photos).

As we left the Vatican area, we saw a pharmacy on site.  Our guide told us anyone could use it if they needed to.   The only issues is you have to take your passport because it is a seperate country! 

Tomorrow the Pantheon!