St. Peter's Basilica

The Basilica of Saint Peter, officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and colloquially called Saint Peter's Basilica, ranks second among the five major basilicas of Rome and its Vatican City enclave. The largest church in Christianity, it covers an area of 23,000 m² and has a capacity of over 60,000 people. One of the holiest sites of Christendom, it is believed to be the site of crucifixion and burial of the basilica namesake Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and first Bishop of Antioch and later first Bishop of Rome. Tradition holds that his tomb is below the baldachino and altar; for this reason, many Popes, starting with the first ones, have been buried there. The current basilica was started in 1506 and was completed in 1626, and was built over the Constantinian basilica.

Miscellaneous

Despite a frequent confusion due to the similar names, the church of San Pietro in Vincoli (famous for hosting the precious Michelangelo's "Moses") is a different church, situated on the other side of the Tiber river.

Related Topics:
San Pietro in Vincoli - Moses - Tiber river

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The Guinness Book of Records currently lists Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro - which was largely inspired by St. Peter's Basilica - as the largest church, surpassing St. Peter's when it was completed in 1989. The validity of this, however, continues to be debated.

Related Topics:
Guinness Book of Records - Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro - 1989

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The Emirates Palace hotel entrance hall dome in Dubai is said to surpass St. Peter's Basilica in height.

Related Topics:
Emirates Palace - Dubai

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