# St. Peter's Basilica

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Canonical page: https://mytuur.com/en/city/rom/spot/basilica-di-san-pietro/

Content updated: 2026-07-19

Basilica di San Pietro stands in Vatican City as a vast church shaped by Renaissance and Baroque design. Its interior holds Michelangelo’s Pietà and Bernini’s Baldacchino. The dome rises above the space, offering a defining view over Rome.

The site is associated with the tomb of the apostle Peter, where Constantine commissioned a first basilica in the fourth century. The present building began in 1506 under Donato Bramante. Michelangelo later simplified the design and strengthened its structure, placing a large dome on a high, solid base. Carlo Maderno later extended the front arm.

Bernini’s Baldacchino marks the main altar and, according to tradition, the place associated with Peter’s tomb. Glass has protected the Pietà since 1972. A digital twin records the basilica through more than 400,000 high-resolution images gathered with cameras, drones and lasers. Artificial intelligence helps identify cracks and missing mosaic pieces with millimetre precision.

- City: [Rome](https://mytuur.com/en/city/rom/)

## Photos

- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_Basilica_di_San_Pietro_6a587dbf312d4cdb35d3a3fe_0.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basilica_di_San_Pietro_-_panoramio_\(6\).jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_Basilica_di_San_Pietro_6a587dbf312d4cdb35d3a3fe_1.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basilica_di_San_Pietro_-_panoramio_\(31\).jpg)
- ![](https://mytuur-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/image_Basilica_di_San_Pietro_6a587dbf312d4cdb35d3a3fe_2.jpg) — [Image: wikimedia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Pietro_Basilica_Dome_-_panoramio.jpg)

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