page_title: St. Peter's Square
section_title: Paving
hierarchical_section_title: St. Peter's Square / History / Paving
caption_attribution_description: English&#58; A 5x6 segment panoramic image taken by myself with a Canon 5D and 70-200mm f/2.8L lens from the dome of St Peter's in Vatican City in Rome.Français&#58; Image panoramique composée de 5x6 photos prises par David Iliff à l'aide d'un appareil Canon 5D et une lentille 70-200mm f/2.8L à partir du dôme de la Carré Saint-Pierre au Vatican.العربية&#58; مقطع صورة پانوراميَّة بقياس 5 × 6 التقطها المُصوِّر بنفسه باستخدام كاميرا كانون 5د وعدسة 70-200 ملم ف\2.8ل، وذلك من على سطح قبَّة كاتدرائيَّة القديس بطرس في مدينة الڤاتيكان بروما.
context_page_description: St. Peter's Square 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 neighborhood or rione of Borgo. Both the square and the basilica are named after Saint Peter, an apostle of Jesus considered by Catholics to be the first 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 Doric 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.
context_section_description: The paving is varied by radiating lines in travertine, to relieve what might otherwise be a sea of setts. 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.
caption: View of Rome from the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica, June 2007
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