P158 - Italy - St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica( UNESCO WHS )



The Basilica of Saint Peter (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St. Peter's Basilica, is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites and has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom". In Catholic Tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to Tradition, was the first Bishop of Antioch, and later first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. While St. Peter's is the most famous of Rome's many churches, it is not the first in rank, an honour held by the Pope's cathedral church, the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Catholic tradition holds that Saint Peter's tomb is below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes, starting with the first ones, have been buried there. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction on the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. Contrary to popular misconception, Saint Peter's is not a cathedral, as it is not the seat of a bishop. It is properly termed a basilica. Like all the earliest churches in Rome,it has the entrance to the east and the apse at the west end of the building.


聖伯多祿大殿（意大利语：Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano），也譯為聖伯多祿教堂、聖彼得教堂或聖彼得大教堂，是梵蒂岡的主要大殿。它建於1506年至1626年，可能是世界最大的教堂，也是天主教最神聖的地方之一。它佔地23,000平方米，可容納超過六萬人。教堂中央是直徑42米的穹窿，頂高約138米，前面有兩重用柱廊圍繞的巴洛克式廣場。義大利文藝復興時期的建築師與藝術家勃拉芒特、拉斐爾、米開朗基羅和小莎迦洛等都曾參與設計。廣場的設計人是貝尼尼。堂內保存有歐洲文藝復興時期許多藝術家如米開朗基羅、拉斐爾等的壁畫與雕刻。

聖伯多祿大殿是罗马市的四座特级圣殿之一：圣若望拉特朗大殿、圣伯多禄大殿、圣母大殿和城外圣保禄大殿。它也是梵蒂冈城中最主要的建筑物。聖伯多祿大殿的穹顶构成罗马城天际线的主要标志。聖伯多祿大殿还是君士坦丁堡主教座堂，而圣若望拉特朗大殿是罗马的主教座堂。聖伯多祿大殿可能是基督教最大的教堂建筑，它佔地23,000平方米，容量超过60,000人。在天主教传统中这是最神圣的圣地之一，传统上认为这里是聖伯多祿（彼得）的安葬地点，他是耶稣的12个宗徒（使徒）之一，第一任安提約基亞（安提阿）主教，以及第一任罗马主教。尽管新约没有提到伯多祿到过罗马，也没有提到他在罗马殉道，古代传统认为他的墓就在祭坛的下面，后来的许多教宗也都安葬于此。目前的聖伯多祿大殿，是兴建在早期教堂的基础上，始建于1506年4月18日，完成于1626年。



References sources : Wikipedia