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St. Peter's Basilica

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kylebarber
kylebarber
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St Peter's -Public Papal Events - General Audience

  • October 17, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by nunes1941 from Cambridge, Massachusetts
St Peter's -Public Papal Events - General Audience

For anyone who is planning a first time visit to Rome and Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica is the largest daily free event offered just about anywhere. Visits are open to the general public of any or no religious denomination. All you have to do is get in line. Be advised that the line is usually long, even in October. However, it does move quickly.
For anyone who might want to attend the Pope's General Audience, held most Wednesday mornings when the the Pope is not on a trip, free tickets can be requested on line. Some suggest that you go to your Parish church to put in your request. I discovered that I could make my request by email to the American Catholic church in Rome; The Church of Santa Susanna to the attention of the Parish Secretary. The email address is: Rosanna Shedid: secretary@santasusanna.org.
The street address is Via Venti Settembre 15 00187, Roma, Italia. Telephone from the USA: 011-3906-4201-4554.
I suggest putting in your request as soon as you made your other travel arrangements. The Vatican publishes the Pope's upcoming schedule only a few months in advance. I put in my request to Ms Shedid late in March for a visit the following October. it worked.After i arrived in Rome, I went to Santa Susanna which is not far from the central train station, Termini Station. My free tickets were waiting for me.
Happy travels.

Rome

  • June 14, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by smezatu2009 from Near Edinburgh Scotland, United Kingdom
visiting St Peters Basilica, getting the lift to the height of the Saints , then climbing 322 steps , the view is mind blowing, the Pietta, you can only marvel at the intricate work, it renders a fEeling of sadness, a tour of the catacombs finishing with you standing in front of Pope John Paul the seconds grave , a massive slab of white marble, with his engraved name and a single yellow rose, the Colosseum , the forum, Capitalone museum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, 8oo churches to explore , P iazza Popolo, Trastevere, Rome is truly blessed, allow yourself plenty of time at each sight and buy a good guide book, and finally carry an empty water bottle , fill it up at the thousands of fountains every where, Arrividerci

St. Peter's

  • December 12, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Lindy27 from Manhattan, Kansas
St. Peter's

On our second day in Rome we visited St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. Even though I am not Catholic I recommend these to anybody visiting Rome. The Basilica is absolutely gorgeous and huge. We got there around 6am and had the whole square to ourselves and it was very peaceful. We then got to have mass in the basement of St. Peters in a small chapel, because somebody in the group knew a priest there.

We then went on to the Vatican Museums with a tour guide, while the tour guide was nice they just take you to the most visited areas. I would recommend if you take a tour guide go back in after it is over and see some of the works that are off the beaten track. When doing this get an audio guide if you want to know more information about what you are looking at. I found the Sistene Chapel to be overrated and was not my favorite thing in the museums.

From journal Roman Holiday

St. Peters Basilica

  • August 16, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by mlmeredith from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Peters Basilica

For Catholics it's a pilgrimage. But the beauty of St. Peter's transcends Catholicism, with art and sculpture by the likes of Michelangelo, Bernini, and countless others.

As a "non-affiliated" Protestant, I'll sidestep the theological aspect and just dwell on the beauty of this building, which is beyond belief. The cynical or disrespectful among us might deride the opulence of this facility, but compare it to almost any other building or work dedicated to a major faith could suffer from unfair assertions such as "why the expense? Why couldn't they...?"

The art work is spectacular! Michelangelo's Pieta is almost worth the trip to Rome all by itself. But the space itself has a certain communion about it. People of faith, curiosity seekers, art lovers and gawking tourists mingle (sometimes shoulder to shoulder) within the confines of one of the most significant pieces of architecture on the planet.

Don't miss it!

For more information, The Vatican has an excellent website: www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm

From journal First Time to Italy

Editor Pick

St. Peter's Basilica

  • July 27, 2007
  • Rated 3 of 5 by rufusni from Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
St. Peter's Basilica

The Vatican and St Peter's is the centre of Roman Catholicism, and St Peter's architectural matches its re-position. Its dome is one of the key features of the Rome skyline and it can be seen from many places across the city. Its grandeur is enhanced by the large Piazza that is in front on the Basilica, and is edged with a covered colonnade. At the centre of the piazza is a obelisk that is 13th century BCE and was moved to Rome in Nero's reign as emperor and later placed here.

The emperor Constantine had a church built here in around 330, but this was replaced as work began on the new basilica in 1506 and completed in 1623 with several architects, including Michelangelo being involved in its design. The result is a magnificent building that is considered the largest Church building in the world and has a capacity of over 60,000.

The interior of the building is elaborate and there is a sense of immense space. There are a great many statues and monuments, including Michelangelo's marble carved Pieta which is close to the entrance, but this has a protective glass shield.

There is free entrance into the basilica, however there are strictly enforced regulations about dress in that shoulders and knees must be cover. It is also possible to visit the tombs of the previous popes under the church, but I would probably skip it unless you are especially interested. Note if you do visit the grottoes the exit from this takes you outside the basilica, so make sure you explore the interior of St Peter's before you go. It is also possible to climb the dome for 5 euros, but there is often a long queue to do so, and so we skipped it.

The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, is open but it is as the sign states "Only those who wish to pray may enter" and thus it is a place of peace and stillness for many visiting Catholics. There are also regular masses said in St Peters several times a day - details can be found on the website www.vatican.va. And just for fun why not send a postcard from the Vatican City which is a separate country governed by the Pope. It has its own post office and you'll postcard will get a Vatican City postmark.

I'm not a Roman Catholic but I can appreciate St Peter's importance for millions of Catholics. But Saint Peter's is still an inspiring place that is well worth a visit no matter what your religious views are.

From journal Glimpsing Rome

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