I am not a religious person by any means but I could not help but be moved by the splendour and richness of the architecture of the chapel of St. Peter and the domed basilica, famously decorated by Michaelangelo. The first thing that struck me was the size of it: 448ft high in the dome and the 715ft length of the nave. I found myself standing with my mouth wide open.

The sense of history is incredible. Started in AD61, it was in the process of being added to and refined until 1626. I don’t profess to know anything about Rennaissance or Baroque art but I was incredibly impressed nonetheless.

Now let’s take the elevator down to the bottom of the cathedral. It is truly grandiose with amazing statues, several by Bernini, paintings by Italian masters including Raphael (copy of "Transfiguration" is here on one of the side walls) and of course the altar over St. Peter’s tomb with the 66-ft bronze canopy (baldacchino) on black and gold curvy columns. The design of the columns so typical of Baroque is repeated on the 4 sides in the ornaments near the ceiling. There is also Bernini’s golden window with the dove in the center, and sun’s rays coming out of it in all directions, designed to overwhelm the viewer and it certainly achieves that. Also here is the famous Michelangelo’s "Pieta" which is now behind the thick glass since the statue was damaged in 1972. Look at how small Christ is compared to Mary’s body. Michelangelo shows all the despair and misery that she is feeling seeing her son sliding away from her.

The floor of the cathedral is gorgeous laid out with ornamental stones of different colors and is best seen from the cupola. Underneath are the grottos with graves of various cardinals, including the grave of St. Peter himself.

Basilica open: daily May-Sept 7:00 am – 7:00 pm, Oct-Apr 7:00 am – 6:00 pm.
Treasury open: daily May-Sept 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Oct-Apr 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
Dome open: daily May-Sept 8:00 am – 6:00 pm, Oct-Apr 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.

To get to the cathedral from the Vatican Museums: As you exit the museums keep walking to the right along the tall wall until you reach the square. All the guides tell you to avoid bus 64, which is famous for pickpockets.

The square in front of the cathedral is truly amazing in size. The 284 columns with statues of saints on top forming half a circle on each side. The symmetrical fountains on each side of the square. I always thought that the cathedral façade and columns are white, but it’s not true. They are of this very light yellowish shade. The square and the cathedral were designed by Bernini and the cathedral has such great proportions that it looks much smaller from the outside than it really is. The new addition to the square are the luggage conveyors and security guards.

Start your visit by getting up to the cupola, the mosaics are gorgeous. While you are standing in line (and there is always line to the elevator to get to the cupola), check out the mosaics along the walls, they are in great shape. Once you get to the top, first check out the view of the city – there is the Victor Emmanuel memorial, so close that you can almost touch it. If you want you can climb up the stairs to get to the very top of the cupola, but that wasn’t part of my trip. Inside the cupola, you can see the mosaics upclose, measure the size of the angels’ feet – from the floor they look very small but up here these tiny cupids are enormous.

Continued in Part II...

The view of St. Peter's Basilica began three blocks away as we walked on Via delio Conciliazione, the street leading from Castel Sant' Angelo to the Vatican City. The basilica formidably sat in all its wonder and awe, showing more detailed majesticness as we approached St. Peter's Square.

At night, the basilica is lit and the square is guarded by Vatican City police. Even though areas were barricaded off, we were able to walk through sections of St. Peter's Square for a closer view of the building exterior.

During the day, only one entrance on the right of the building is open for admittance to the basilica. On Wednesday and Sunday, there were checkpoints and metal detectors set up prior to entering the area surrounding the church. I was asked to check my backpack in at the base of the basilica.

View the external of the church to assess the size of this building. Then enter the church and take a few moments to again assess the size. People at the other end of the church barely appear. The enormity of the structure is fascinating. Immediately to the right is Michelangelo’s Pieta, behind a plexi-glass barrier. People were crowded in this section of the church and the wait to be up front was worthwhile.

We slowly walked through the various sections of the church. Small chapel areas are equally as elaborate as the church. One chapel was exclusively for private prayer, creating a peaceful environment of silence and solitute. A section towards the front was roped off for confessions, with the option of six different languages. Only people seeking this sacrement were permitted in this area.

We spent the better portion of two days visiting St Peter's Basilica. We were also looking for specific statues and tombs: ones identified in our guide book as well as suggestions from our tour group. The tombs of prior Popes, especially St. Peter's, took time for our viewing and prayers.

On Sunday mornings, a Latin Mass is offered at the back of the Basilica. Plan on arriving at least one hour before Mass begins to get a seat. Additionally, private Masses are celebrated in the smaller chapels at 7:30 in the morning. We were very grateful for our opportunity to participate in a Mass at St. Peter's.

Entrance to the "Tombs of the Popes" is also free and is accessible by a flight of stairs over by the statue of St. Longinus. The only exit from the Tombs left us outside the Basilica, so we should have left this for last.

Tours are available, although we did not do so. I believe we may have missed out on some of the historical significance of some statues and/or paintings not referenced in our book. We did not view the Vatican treasures either. Entrance to that musuem was about $4, but we simply ran out of time.

Enter the church and find the burgundy colord marble circle near the rear of the church. Stand here (on the spot where Charlemagne was coronated) and survey the immensity of the building. Imagine what it might look like had the architech's original design prevailed - a symmetrical Greek cross with a center dome rather than the Latin cross design that was actually built. The nave (center aisle) would only be half as long!

To your right (behind bullet proof glass - some crazy guy attacked the statue with a hammer in the late 70s) is Michelangelo's Pieta. Straight ahead in the center of the church is Bernini's canopy. St. Peter himself is said to be buried underneath. Rub the foot of the statue of St. Peter (on the right before you reach the canopy) for good luck. (This statue is the only remaining item from the original St. Peter's church.) Survey Raphaello's "paintings" on the walls, which if you look at closely you will notice are not actually paintings at all but mosaics.

See everything you want to see in the church, then decend the stairs into the crypt housing the bodies of many of the deceased popes. Make sure you visit the crypt last, as the exit leads outside the church.