St. Peter 's square - wikipedia St. Peter 's square This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( October 2015 ) For other uses, see St. Peter 's Square ( disambiguation ). St. Peter 's Square, Vatican City St. Peter 's Square ( Italian : Piazza San Pietro ( ˈpjattsa sam ˈpjɛːtro ), Latin : Forum Sancti Petri ) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter 's Basilica in the Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighbourhood or rione of Borgo. Both the square and the basilica are named after Saint Peter, an apostle of Jesus and the first Catholic Pope. At the centre of the square is an ancient Egyptian obelisk, erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square almost 100 years later, including the massive Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, which embrace visitors in `` the maternal arms of Mother Church ''. A granite fountain constructed by Bernini in 1675 matches another fountain designed by Carlo Maderno in 1613. St. Peter 's Square within Vatican City Contents 1 History 1.1 Colonnades 1.2 Obelisk 1.3 Paving 1.4 Spina 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links History The open space which lies before the basilica was redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667, under the direction of Pope Alexander VII, as an appropriate forecourt, designed `` so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace '' ( Norwich 1975 p 175 ). Bernini had been working on the interior of St. Peter 's for decades ; now he gave order to the space with his renowned colonnades, using the Tuscan form of Doric, the simplest order in the classical vocabulary, not to compete with the palace - like façade by Carlo Maderno, but he employed it on an unprecedented colossal scale to suit the space and evoke a sense of awe. There were many constraints from existing structures ( illustration, right ). The massed accretions of the Vatican Palace crowded the space to the right of the basilica 's façade ; the structures needed to be masked without obscuring the papal apartments. The obelisk marked a centre, and a granite fountain by Maderno stood to one side : Bernini made the fountain appear to be one of the foci of the ovato tondo embraced by his colonnades and eventually matched it on the other side, in 1675, just five years before his death. The trapezoidal shape of the piazza, which creates a heightened perspective for a visitor leaving the basilica and has been praised as a masterstroke of Baroque theater ( illustration, below right ), is largely a product of site constraints. St. Peter 's Square and Basilica, 1909 Colonnades St. Peter 's Square colonnades The colossal Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, frame the trapezoidal entrance to the basilica and the massive elliptical area which precedes it. The ovato tondo 's long axis, parallel to the basilica 's façade, creates a pause in the sequence of forward movements that is characteristic of a Baroque monumental approach. The colonnades define the piazza. The elliptical center of the piazza, which contrasts with the trapezoidal entrance, encloses the visitor with `` the maternal arms of Mother Church '' in Bernini 's expression. On the south side, the colonnades define and formalize the space, with the Barberini Gardens still rising to a skyline of umbrella pines. On the north side, the colonnade masks an assortment of Vatican structures ; the upper stories of the Vatican Palace rise above. Obelisk At the center of the ovato tondo stands an uninscribed Egyptian obelisk of red granite, 25.5 metres tall, supported on bronze lions and surmounted by the Chigi arms in bronze, in all 41 metres to the cross on its top. The obelisk was originally erected at Heliopolis, Egypt, by an unknown pharaoh. St. Peter 's Square obelisk The Emperor Augustus ( c. 63 BC -- 14 AD ) had the obelisk moved to the Julian Forum of Alexandria, where it stood until 37 AD, when Caligula ordered the forum demolished and the obelisk transferred to Rome. He had it placed on the spina which ran along the center of the Circus of Nero, where it would preside over Nero 's countless brutal games and Christian executions. It was moved to its current site in 1586 by the engineer - architect Domenico Fontana under the direction of Pope Sixtus V ; the engineering feat of re-erecting its vast weight was memorialized in a suite of engravings. The Vatican Obelisk is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since ancient Roman times. During the Middle Ages, the gilt ball on top of the obelisk was believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar. Fontana later removed the ancient metal ball, now in a Rome museum, that stood atop the obelisk and found only dust. Christopher Hibbert ( page 178 ) writes that the ball was found to be solid. Though Bernini had no influence in the erection of the obelisk, he did use it as the centerpiece of his magnificent piazza, and added the Chigi arms to the top in honor of his patron, Alexander VII. Paving The paving is varied by radiating lines in travertine, to relieve what might otherwise be a sea of cobblestones. In 1817 circular stones were set to mark the tip of the obelisk 's shadow at noon as the sun entered each of the signs of the zodiac, making the obelisk a gigantic sundial 's gnomon. Below is a view of St. Peter 's Square from the cupola ( the top of the dome ) which was taken in June, 2007. View of Rome from the Dome of St. Peter 's Basilica, June 2007 Spina St. Peter 's Square today can be reached from the Ponte Sant'Angelo along the grand approach of the Via della Conciliazione ( in honor of the Lateran Treaty of 1929 ). The spina ( median with buildings which divided the two roads of Borgo vecchio and Borgo nuovo ) which once occupied this grand avenue leading to the square was demolished ceremonially by Benito Mussolini himself on October 23, 1936 and was completely demolished by October 8, 1937. St. Peter 's Basilica was now freely visible from the Castel Sant'Angelo. After the spina, almost all the buildings south of the passetto were demolished between 1937 and 1950, obliterating one of the most important medieval and renaissance quarters of the city. Moreover, the demolition of the spina canceled the characteristic Baroque surprise, nowadays maintained only for visitors coming from Borgo Santo Spirito. The Via della Conciliazione was completed in time for the Great Jubilee of 1950. St. Peter 's Square ( facing St. Peter 's Basilica ), and the obelisk from the Circus of Nero 360 degree view St. Peter 's Square Gallery St. Peter 's Square fountain St. Peter 's Square colonnades and fountain St. Peter 's Square colonnades and lanterns St. Peter 's Square, Borgo and the center of Rome from the dome St. Peter 's Square panorama in rainy conditions Statues on the colonnades St. Peter 's Square by Viviano Codazzi, 1630 Bernini 's fountain, 1675 Re-erection of the obelisk in 1586 took thirteen months Re-erection of the obelisk Obelisk with a Christmas Tree See also Index of Vatican City - related articles References Jump up ^ It was set up in 1613 by order of Paul V Jump up ^ The actual foci are marked in the paving by roundels of stone six or seven metres beyond the outer ring of the compass rose centered on the obelisk, on either side. When the visitor stands on one, the ranks of columns line up perfectly behind one another. ( Touring Club Italiano, Roma e Dintorni ). Jump up ^ There are 248 columns and 88 pilasters ; 140 over lifesize saints crown the cornice ; the coats of arms are of Alexander VII. Jump up ^ The ovato tondo is 240 metres across. Jump up ^ Touring Club Italiano, Roma e Dintorni, which furnishes the statistics in these notes. Further reading Hibbert, Christopher, 1985, Rome : The biography of a city, London, Penguin. Norwich, John Julius, ed. 1975 Great Architecture of the World ISBN 0 - 394 - 49887 - 9 Touring Club Italiano, Roma e Dintorni External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piazza San Pietro. External video Bernini 's St. Peter 's Square, Smarthistory stpetersbasilica.info Pages for all 140 Colonnade Saints Great Buildings On - line : Piazza of St. Peter 's Roberto Piperno, `` Piazza di S. Pietro '' : engravings by Vasi Mary Ann Sullivan, `` St Peter 's Piazza, Vatican City '' Obeliscus Vaticanus LacusCurtius.com, The Vatican Obelisk, retrieved September 4, 2006 The legend of the cry of Bresca Legendary Rome Rome, Nova Online, Mysteries of the Nile, A World of Obelisks : Rome pbs.org, retrieved September 4, 2006 St. Peter 's Square, Bernini 's Fountain Papacy of the Catholic Church Titles Papal names Bishop of Rome Vicar of Jesus Christ Successor of the Prince of the Apostles Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church Primate of Italy Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province Sovereign of the Vatican City State Servant of the servants of God Vicarius Filii Dei Symbols Coats of arms Coats of arms of the Holy See and Vatican City Cross Keys of Heaven Regalia and insignia Rota Umbraculum Proclamations Apostolic constitution Bull List Encyclical Apostolic exhortation Ecclesiastical letter Activities Conclave Oath Coronation Consistory Inauguration Mass Travel Paul VI 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Philatelic and Numismatic Office Public holidays Vatican Cricket Team Vatican Library film secret archives Pope portal Vatican City portal Catholicism portal Gian Lorenzo Bernini Sculpture 1610s The Goat Amalthea with the Infant Jupiter and a Faun Bust of Giovanni Battista Santoni A Faun Teased by Children Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence Saint Sebastian Bust of Pope Paul V Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius Bust of Giovanni Vigevano Damned Soul Blessed Soul Bust of Camilla Barbadoni 1620s Bust of Carlo Antonio del Pozzo Neptune and Triton The Rape of Proserpina Apollo and Daphne Bust of Pope Gregory XV St. Peter 's Baldachin Charity with Four Children David Bust of Alessandro Peretti di Montalto Saint Bibiana Busts of Pope Urban VIII Bust of Monsignor Pedro de Foix Montoya Bust of Cardinal Roberto Bellarmine Bust of Cardinal Giovanni Dolfin Bust of Cardinal Escoubleau de Sourdis Bust of Antonio Cepparelli Bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl Two Angels in Sant'Agostino Bust of Francesco Barberini Bust of Antonio Barberini Busts of Cardinals Agostino and Pietro Valier Memorial to Carlo Barberini Tomb of Pope Urban VIII Saint Longinus Sleeping Hermaphroditus ( mattress ) 1630s Statue of Carlo Barberini Two Busts of Cardinal Scipione Borghese Tomb of Countess Matilda of Tuscany Pasce Oves Meas Bust of Costanza Bonarelli Busts of Paolo Giordano and Isabella Orsini Statue of Pope Urban VIII Bust of King Charles I Bust of Thomas Baker Medusa 1640s Bust of Cardinal Richilieu Memorial to Alessandro Valtrini Memorial to Ippolito Merenda Memorial to Maria Raggi Truth Unveiled by Time Bust of Pope Leo X Ecstasy of Saint Teresa Raimondi Chapel Noli Me Tangere 1650s Busts of Pope Innocent X Bust of Francesco I d'Este The Vision of Constantine Daniel and the Lion Habakkuk and the Angel Chair of Saint Peter Saints Jerome and Mary Magdalen 1660s Statue of Alexander VII Busts of Alexander VII Elephant and Obelisk Angel with the Crown of Thorns Angel with the Superscription Bust of Gabriele Fonseca Bust of Louis XIV Equestrian Statue of King Louis XIV 1670s Blessed Ludovica Albertoni Tomb of Pope Alexander VII Statue of Pope Clement X Architecture and fountains St. Peter 's Square Fountains of St. Peter 's Square Fontana della Barcaccia Fontana del Tritone Fontana delle Api Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi Fontana del Moro Paintings Self - Portrait as a Young Man Portrait of Pope Urban VIII Saint Andrew and Saint Thomas Self - Portrait as a Mature Man Portrait of a Boy Christ Mocked Related articles List of works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini Landmarks of Rome Bridges Pons Cestius Pons Fabricius Ponte Milvio Ponte Sant'Angelo Ponte Sisto Basilicas and churches St. Peter 's Basilica Sistine Chapel Archbasilica of St. John Lateran Basilica of San Clemente al Laterano Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls Catacombs Church of the Gesù San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane Santa Croce in Gerusalemme Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri Santa Maria in Cosmedin Santa Maria in Trastevere Santa Prassede Santa Sabina Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza Santa Maria della Vittoria Santa Maria del Popolo San Pietro in Vincoli Roman architecture Villas Villa Farnese Villa of Livia Villa of the Quintilii Villa of the sette bassi Temples Pantheon Temple of Castor and Pollux Temple of Hercules Victor Temple of Portunus Temple of Saturn Temple of Vesta Architecture Altare della Patria Ara Pacis Aurelian Walls Baths of Caracalla Castel Sant'Angelo Circus Maximus Colosseum Column of Marcus Aurelius Comitium Imperial fora Largo di Torre Argentina Mausoleum of Augustus Obelisks Palazzo Barberini Palazzo Farnese Piazza Navona Pyramid of Cestius Roman Forum Servian Wall Spanish Steps Theatre of Marcellus Theatre of Pompey Tiber Island Torre dei Capocci Torre delle Milizie Trajan 's Column Trajan 's Market Trevi Fountain Art Apollo Belvedere Augustus of Prima Porta La Bocca della Verità Laocoön and His Sons Ecstasy of Saint Teresa 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Question: who is the designer of the piazza in front of st. peter's basilica
Answer: Gian Lorenzo Bernini