St. Peter’s Basilica

Scale: 1:400
Length: 114 cm
Width: 55 cm
Height: 37 cm
Degree of difficulty: 3 (difficult)
Number of sheets: 33
German title: Petersdom in Rom

The dome of the church is removable so that the interior can be seen from above:

St. Peter’s Basilica
The Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican City of Rome is part of the UNESCO world cultural heritage. It is considered to be the largest church architecture in the world (length 211.5 m, height 132.5 m, dome diameter 42 m) which attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world every day wanting to visit the burial site of the apostle St. Peter and the principal church of the Pope. The Basilica of St. Peter as it stands today is the creation of many generations of architects. It reflects the spiritual conviction and the aesthetic ideals of the renaissance and baroque eras. From an architectural point of view, the Basilica of St. Peter is a typical renaissance building that was completed in a baroque style.

St. Peter’s Square
It’s an awesome feeling when one enters the gigantic ellipse comprising St. Peter’s Square which opens up to a bright and wide area right in front of the visitor’s eyes (273 resp. 226 m in diameter). In the center of the Square, a huge obelisk framed by two mighty spouting fountains towers out of the ground; Emperor Caligula had once brought this obelisk from Alexandria in Egypt to Rome by ship and had it erected in his circus, the coliseum. According to bible records, the obelisk witnessed the execution of the apostle St. Peter and his followers. More than 140 larger-than-life size holy sculptures stand on the 15 m tall colonnade of Bernini. The colonnade is wide enough so that two cars could easily pass through it. Your attention is now drawn to the Basilica and the facade Carlo Madernas which bluntly separates the Square from the Basilica actually giving you more of a palatial impression. The massive structure of the facade with its columns and pillars reaching over two floors is very striking, as are the entrances, the balconies and the windows. It is the middle balcony on the second floor from where the Pope pronounces the papal blessing on important Christian holidays “Urbi et Orbi”, for the city and the world. It is also the place from where the name of the newly elected Pope as well as a canonization or beatification are publically announced. On top of the facade stand two 5.70 m high statues portraying Christ and the apostles.