St. Peter's Square

An architectural masterpiece by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1656–67), St. Peter's Square is a spectacular, immense ellipse 240 m wide, at the end of which, beyond a grandiose forecourt, is the façade of the basilica surmounted by Michelangelo's dome. The two lateral semicircles of the ellipse are like two arms composed of imposing porticoes with four rows of Tuscan columns that converge as if to accompany and propel the faithful towards the basilica: in total, there are 284 columns and 88 pillars. Above the colonnade stand 140 statues of saints and the large coats of arms of Alexander VII. At the end of the portico is the bronze door leading to the Vatican Palace. In the centre of the square, between two grandiose fountains, rises the Vatican Obelisk, which comes from Egypt and is 25 metres high. A wind rose is marked on the floor around the obelisk. Moving towards one of the fountains, beyond the protective circle surrounding the obelisk, is a circular stone from which the colonnade appears as a single row of columns.