SAINT PETER'S, Square

Now walk towards the basilica through the immense but welcoming space of the square that Pope Alexander VII commissioned to Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

You should know that until the middle of the sixteenth century this area was a vast, unpaved space with the Egyptian obelisk in the center. Several designs had already been made for an octagonal or rectangular square, but not one architect or urban planner had come up with a solution that considered the tens of thousands of people that would come to the square for sacred celebrations.

In 1656 Pope Alexander VII entrusted the impressive task to the greatest architect of the time, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was then almost sixty years old. Most importantly, the sculptor-architect had to form the square in such a way that it was harmonious with the basilica's façade, which had been made relatively low and wide in order to let Michelangelo's grandiose dome stand out. Secondly, the new square had to connect the basilica to the pope's palace so that he could impart his blessing on the pilgrims....