The largest church in the world

St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is the largest church in the world and is considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. Construction began in 1506 on the initiative of Popes Nicholas V and Julius II. Pope Urban VIII consecrated the basilica in 1626. Several famous figures were involved in its design, including Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. 

With a diameter of over 42 meters (139 ft), the dome created by Michelangelo was the largest dome in the world when it was completed in 1590. Today it is a landmark of Rome's skyline. Bernini designed St. Peter's Square with the colonnades and the bronze baldachin above the Papal Altar. Under the altar is the tomb of Saint Peter. Despite its size and importance for Christian pilgrims, St. Peter's Basilica is not a cathedral as it is not the seat of a bishop. The cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, i.e. the seat of the Pope, is the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran.

Michelangelo's Pietà

The interior of St Peter's Basilica contains impressive works of art such as Michelangelo's Pietà, or ‘Madonna della Pietà’ (Our Lady of Pity), which is a marble statue of the mourning Mother of God Mary with the body of Jesus Christ in her arms. It was created between 1498 and 1499. Interestingly, the Pietà is Michelangelo's only work with his signature. The reason for this is said to have been that some of the first viewers mistook the statue for the work of another artist, as Michelangelo was not yet very well known at the time.