It's huge in both scale and history, and it can be overwhelming. But with Jane guiding you through this magnificent church -- appreciating it step-by-step in the context of its long and tumultuous history – you will come away with a deep and lasting appreciation of the essence of this remarkable place.
“Jane's Smart Art Guide to St Peter's is certainly one of the most useful works on the basilica. … I'm quite impressed and delighted. I often look for the mistakes so often found in the guide books, but I'm having a difficult time finding any [in Jane’s audio guide].”
- Works by Giotto, Michelangelo, and Bernini;
- Materials and art salvaged from the original 4thC basilica;
- Five centuries of exemplary sculpture;
- Work in bronze, marble, stucco, mosaic, and gilding; and
- A fascinating marriage of Renaissance and Baroque architecture.
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To review the companion booklet, click here.
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The Vatican’s Basilica of St. Peter was inevitably at the center of the ebb and flow of western Christendom’s political, social, religious and cultural development. Under construction for more than 150 years, it has been witness to physical and spiritual neglect, the devastating Sack of Rome, Reformations, and papal corruption and self-interest, as well as exemplary spiritual humility.
For almost half a millennium, Michelangelo’s spectacular dome has soared over the Vatican, the most recognized landmark of all among the many domes of Rome’s skyline.
In the vast, awe-inspiring wonder of the interior of St. Peter’s, what could easily have been overwhelming volume and mass has been scaled into an accessible frame of human reference by the perfect relationships among the architectural components. The profusion of decorative elements, because of the sheer massiveness of scale, serves to unify the parts, creating harmony rather than chaos.
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