Incredible View of the Dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica
It is not everyday that you get to visit the dome of any church up close. Granted that it is not really an easy thing to do, but I was glad that Saint Peter’s Basilica allows visitors to go up the dome for a closer look. The basilica itself is so huge that even if you look at the dome from below, you still won’t be able to see it full glory. When you emerge from the seemingly endless flight of stairs going up the dome, you would be amazed at the sight of what is probably one of the largest domes in the world but it is considered the tallest. The massive dome is richly decorated with numerous illustrations of saints. The center has a skylight to shine light through.
Looking Through the Fence in the Dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica
I was surprised to know that the great Italian artist Michelangelo had a hand in this dome. He was called in to help with the design of the dome. He was already old by then but he was still his usual genius. There was already a design in place but Michelangelo improved on the design. In the end, he didn’t get to design the entire dome either as it was passed down to his subordinate after his death. From my understanding the vertical portion of the dome is Michelangelo. He did leave designs for the rest of the dome for later completion.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/SaintPeter’sBasilica.kmz} zoom=19]