Papal Basilica of Saint Peter
| St. Peter's Basilica | |
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| Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican | |
Main façade and dome of St. Peter's Basilica
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 Location on a map of Vatican City
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| 41°54′08″N 12°27′12″E / 41.90222°N 12.45333°ECoordinates: 41°54′08″N 12°27′12″E / 41.90222°N 12.45333°E | |
| Location | Vatican City |
| Country | Holy See |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Tradition | Latin Rite |
| Website | St. Peter's Basilica |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Peter |
| Consecrated | 18 November 1626 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Papal major basilica |
| Architect(s) | |
| Style | Renaissance and Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 18 April 1506 |
| Completed | 18 November 1626 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 730 feet (220 m) |
| Width | 500 feet (150 m) |
| Height | 448.1 feet (136.6 m) |
| Nave height | 151.5 feet (46.2 m) |
| Dome diameter (outer) | 137.7 feet (42.0 m) |
| Dome diameter (inner) | 136.1 feet (41.5 m) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Rome |
| Clergy | |
| Archpriest | Angelo Comastri |
| Official name | Vatican City |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iv, vi |
| Designated | 1984 (8th session) |
| Reference no. | 286 |
| State Party | Holy See |
| Region | Europe and North America |
The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave within the city of Rome.
Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world. While it is neither the mother church of the Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".
Catholic tradition holds that the Basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter, one of Christ's Apostles and also the first Pope. Saint Peter's tomb is supposedly directly below the high altar of the Basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St. Peter's since the Early Christian period, and there has been a church on this site since the time of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica, which would replace Old St. Peter's Basilica from the 4th century CE, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.
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