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Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
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ST. PETER'S BASILICA , ITALY
The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano) 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 baldochino and altar. Popes have been buried there, too. Construction of the basilica began in 1506 and was completed in 1626.
Above the main entrance is the inscription:IN HONOREM PRINCIPIS APOST PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS PONT MAX AN MDCXII PONT VII (In honor of the prince of apostles; Paul V Borghese, pope, in the year 1612 and the seventh year of his pontificate). On top are statues of Christ, John the Baptist, and eleven of the apostles; St. Peter's statue is inside. Two clocks are on either side of the top, the one on the left is electrically operated since 1931, with its oldest bell dating to 1288.
Michelangelo was criticized for having portrayed the Virgin Mary as too young since she actually must have been around 45-50 years old when Jesus died. He said that he did so deliberately because the effects of time could not mar the virginal features of this, the most blessed of women. He also said that he was thinking of his own mother's face, he was only five when she died.
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There are over 100 tombs located within St. Peter's Basilica. These include 91 popes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
When The Pieta was unveiled a proud Michelangelo stood by and watched as people admired the beautiful Pieta. However, what was pride quickly turned into anger as he overheard a group of people attributing the work to other artists of his time. That anger caused Michelangelo to add one last thing to his sculpture. Going down the sash on the Virgin Mary, Michelangelo carved his name. He later regretted that his emotions got the best of him and vowed to never sign another one of his works again. The most substantial damage to the Pieta occurred on May 21, 1972 (Pentecost Sunday) when a mentally disturbed geologist named Laszlo Toth walked into the chapel and attacked the Virgin with a hammer while shouting "I am Jesus Christ." After the attack, the work was painstakingly restored and returned to its place in St. Peter's, just to the right of the entrance, between the Holy door and the altar of Saint Sebastian, and is now protected by a bullet-proof acrylic glass panel. The chapel of the Pietà is the location where the Pope vests before liturgical celebrations in the basilica.
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Contrary to popular belief, the basilica does not hold the distinction in the Roman Catholic Church of being the ecumenical motherchurch, as it is not the cathedral of the Pope (in fact, it is not a cathedral at all). That distinction belongs to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano. However, due to the proximity of the Papal residence, most Papal ceremonies take place at St. Peter's. 
