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SAINT PETER’S CATHEDRAL IN VATICAN

Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican

Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican

St. Peter’s Basilica is located west of Rome’s center on the territory of sovereign Vatican State. History tells us that on the site of today’s St. Peter’s and the square adjoining it at the time of ancient Rome there used to be a circus, on the arena of which Christians were martyred during emperor Nero’s reign. In 67, after a court trial the Apostle Peter was brought here. Peter asked if his execution could be not like that of Christ. Then he was crucified with his head down. Saint Clement, then Roman bishop, and the Apostle’s faithful disciples took down his body from the cross and buried it in a grotto located nearby.

In 326, in memory of this emperor Constantine ordered to build on this holy site a basilica in the name of Saint Peter, which stood longer than a thousand years. When it became completely obsolete Roman Pope Nicholas V in 1452 decided to begin building of a new grandiose cathedral. But after his death in 1455, the works were for a long time stopped, and only in 1506 Pope Julius II commissioned famous architect Bramante to resume construction.

Bramante designed the church in the form of a Greek cross. After his death, work on reconstruction of the cathedral was commissioned to Rafael, who redesigned the church in the form of a prolonged Latin cross. After Rafael construction of the cathedral was headed up by Michelangelo Buonarotti. However, death did not allow the master to finish what he conceived. Architects Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana according to Michelangelo’s project erected two domes: the inner, round one, and the outer, elongated upwards. Carlo Maderno finished building side chapels and decorated the façade of the cathedral. Finally, on November 18 of 1626, in the 1300th anniversary of the first basilica Pope Urban VIII dedicated the new cathedral.

The new altar was put on the place of the old one and in the floor a “little window” was made — confessio, through which believers could turn their eyes to saint Peter’s tomb, hidden deep under the ground. Excavations carried out in 1940s underneath the cathedral proved that beneath the altar part of the cathedral there is a big necropolis of Roman time, in the center of which there is the Apostle’s tomb. This was testified about by many facts including inscriptions and depictions.

Until 1990, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome was the biggest Christian temple in the world (in 1990, it was surpassed by a cathedral in Yamusucro, the capital of African country Ivory Coast). In commemoration of this the builders of the cathedral immured marble plates into the floor indicating the size of the biggest temples in the world. The size of the basilica is just striking. Its square is 22,067 sq m. The cathedral’s height is 189 m, length without the portico is 186.36 m, while with the portico — 211.5 m.

Before entry into the cathedral huge statues of the saint Apostles Peter and Paul rise. Peter is holding in his hands the keys to the heavenly kingdom given to him by Christ. Five doors lead into the cathedral. The last one on the right side is a Holy One and opened only in the Holy or Jubilee year celebrated every 25 years. In ancient times, the beginning of the year of jubilee was marked with the sound from a trumpet made of goat’s horn called yobel, which was the origin of the word jubilee. A small door with a bronze cross and a little square box where the key to it is kept is walled by concrete. Every 25 years before Christmas before the year of jubilee concrete is torn. In accordance with a special ritual, after threefold kneeling down and three strikes of a hammer the Holy Door is thrust open, and the Pope takes the Cross into his hands and enters into the cathedral first. In the end of the year of jubilee the door is again shut and walled fro another 25 years.

Huge bronze doors of the central entrance are made by Florence’s master Filaret (XV century). Big figures of Christ and the Holy Virgin sitting on the throne are depicted in their upper part. In the center there are the Apostles Peter and Paul. In the two lower frames there are depicted scenes of a court hearing before Nero and later execution of the Apostles: Saint Paul’s head being cut off and Crucifixion of Saint Peter. The doors are framed by numerous scenes on themes of ancient myths (Leda and Swan, Romul and Remus, the Abduction of Sabininans) and Aesop’s fables (the Wolf and the Lamb, the Fox and the Heron, the Crow and the Fox), an exquisite plant ornamentation as well as portraits of emperors and other prominent people of that time. Above the doors there is a marble bass relief by Bernini “Jesus Entrusts Peter with the Keys to the Heavenly Kingdom.” On the inside of the doors one can see a seal of the master who made them, who depicted himself on a donkey at the head of a procession of his helpers following him each one with his instrument of labor (hammer, chisel, compasses and so forth).

On the cathedral’s floor there is a big circle of porphyry designating a place where on Christmas night of 800 Charlemagne, the first emperor of the sacred Roman Empire, knelt down before Pope Leo III, who crowned him.

The Cathedral’s interior decoration is quite luxurious. Throughout the ages it was decorated by outstanding masters of art. The temple leaves an unforgettable impression. Almost all the paintings on the walls and vaults are done in the mosaic technique. There is sculpture Pieta (Mourning after Christ) by Michelangelo here. This is probably the most reproduced and famous work by the master. Several years ago a maniac damaged the statue. Now it is restored and covered with a hood made of bulletproof glass.

The huge dome of St. Peter’s erected according to Michelangelo’s project rises upwards like a light canvas lifted up by the wind. Its diameter is 42 meters; in Rome it is called Cuppolone (“Huge Dome”). Along the frieze of the dome and then the frieze of the entire church there is mosaic inscription in Greek and Latin with the words of Christ, “You are Peter and of this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it; and I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heavens; and whatever you bind on the earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on the earth will be loosed in heaven.”

A sloping staircase and a lift lead to the dome. The walls of the staircase are decorated with autographs of the Royal persons who have been here. The stairway leads to the inner balcony encircling the dome, from where one can see the entire altar section of the cathedral. Under the dome there are souvenir craftsmen’s shops and stores and a post office, where the “Roof of St. Peter’s” stamp is put on post cards. From here one can ascend to the top of the dome, from where one can overlook a panoramic view of the Eternal city and its vicinities. The inner surface of the dome is decorated with depictions of the four Evangelists: Matthew with an angel, who moved his hand as he was writing the Gospel; Mark with a lion; Luke with an ox; John with an eagle. The lion, eagle and ox are so-called apocalyptical animals spoken of by John in Apocalypses as the animals surrounding the throne of God (Rev. 4:6-8).

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Один комментарий

  1. Кстати в конце статьи место, где говорится о том, что «Ты есть Петр и на камне сем Я создам Церковь Мою»
    имеется в виду откровение, которое Петр получил о Христе, а именно то, что, когда Иисус спросил за кого он Его почитает, то Петр сказал, что – за Сына Божьего. Именно на сем камне то и строится Его Церковь. Как мне кажется!?

    Кстати католики, интересно до сих пор считают, что камнем является человек Симон, нареченный Кифой или Петром?

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