Finding Saints in Vatican City
- jseiz54
- Jul 3
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 4
So Ori-- after your trip to the Stadio Olympico, (click previous word for video) a structure that has grown "a bit" since it was first built, you might also get a chance to land in St. Peter's Square.
What a fabulous experience for you. The square itself is just amazing. We have drones today to take aerial photos--easy peasy--but not so for Nolli and his team of careful surveyors and architects that made the map you see below almost 300 years ago.
I lived in Rome the summer of 1992 as part of an Art History study grant. One of the Professors in town was going to walk a group of us through the old part of Vatican City one afternoon. He said to us the day before our gathering.. “we’ll meet tomorrow in the shadow of the obelisk in St, Peter’s Square at 2:00”. As you can see, the Piazza is a big place--I think he gave pretty good directions..
First of all the Obelisk itself is worth gazing at. It was brought by boat across the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt by Roman sailors. It is one solid block of stone that commemorated a particular Egyptian God in front of a large Egyptian temple. The Romans conquered Egypt (they kind of did this a lot all over the Mediterranean) and thought that these large stones were cool looking. At one time, there were 40+ obelisks that had moved by boat from Egypt across the sea to Rome. This one "possibly" was placed in Nero's Circus and might have "witnessed" the martyrdom of St. Peter.
The second trip I made to Rome in 1973 (the summer of my junior year in College) I remember making a point of timing how long it took for me to start walking into St. Peter’s Square, enter the Basilica and continue walking all the way to the back of the church where the Bernini Sculpture of the Chair of St, Peter’s is installed under a beautiful stained glass window of a Dove. (Click on picture below for more info on this stained glass.
It took about 40 minutes just walking at a regular place to cover that much territory. It is a BIG place.
As you walk across the Square, you will notice your ability to see the Dome diminishes the closer you get to the entrance. That is because Michelangelo (who designed the dome based on his love of his hometown Florence’s Dome) thought the church was going to have a different front. Take a look at the two Domes and you can see —the relationship between the two—though they were created 100 years apart.
If you get a chance to enter the Basilica, you have an amazing opportunity chance this 2025 Holy Year to enter through the Holy Doors—doors that ordinarily are sealed shut, opened only during Holy Years. The Holy Doors you will be walking through were made after World War II by Lodovico Consorti.
These doors tell the story of Jesus from birth through death. There are also two panels that show scenes from the life of St. Peter (His denial of Christ) and the life of St. Paul (his Damascus Conversion) in the lower right side panels.
Once you get into the Basilica, the spectacularly beautiful Pieta sculpture by Michelangelo will be in one of the first side chapels you come across on the far right hand side of the basilica.
Michelangelo ( in his early 20's at the time), made this sculpture specifically for this Church. A "Pieta" was a devotional sculpture that focused on the sad moment when Christ's body was taken down from the cross after he was crucified. It had always been a troubling and awkward subject for sculptors to proportionally balance how a petite woman could support the tall, (and deceased at that moment) body of her 30+ year old son. Michelangelo’s secret to making the sculpture be harmonious and beautiful? If Mary were to stand up, she would be 7’ tall—but you don’t realize that when you are looking at it.
Walking toward the center of the vast church, you will see a huge bronze canopy altar. Just to the right of that will be a statue of St. Peter on the right hand side. You may see people coming up to that statue and touching his feet (especially his right foot). It is supposedly good luck to touch his toe.
Underneath the large central altar, about 40’ underground are the actual bones of St, Peter. You won’t be able to see these from the inside. On another visit you will make to Rome some day you can sign up for a tour of the underground area that will take you by St. Peter’s bones. I will tell you a story when I see you about the time I brought my St. Ambrose University students with me on a tour of the underground at St. Peter’s bones. The word “awesome” seems a bit weak to describe the experience. If you click the picture below showing Pope Francis carrying the reliquary (a sacred box to hold saint bones) in 2013, you can watch a YouTube video about St. Peter’s bones—the reason why the whole church was constructed in the first place.
After your visit, you will certainly see tourist shops filled with things one would only find in Rome..statues of saints, all manner of Bobble Heads, and something I have always brought back as a souvenir for friends…a Papal Bottle Opener (affectionately known as a Popener).
Because Pope Leo is so new, there might still be Pope Francis Bottle openers for sale. I remember when I was first in Rome as an exchange student in 1970, the then Pope, Pope Paul VI, had only been Pope for seven years and there were still souvenirs from when his predecessor Pope John XXIII was Pope. (If I remember correctly I saw some of the Pope John XXIII keychains in a basket marked 50% off..)
I would suggest if you are faced with a row of Statues and are curious to acquire one, I would go by the “Harry Potter Rule” which is “the wand chooses its owner.” Choose one that you are attracted to for whatever reason. You can spend a lifetime enjoying it and learning more about who the saintly person is…There are Saints that are in charge of many many things—St. Isodore of Seville is the patron of the Internet, St. Sebastian is the patron saint of sports and athletes, and St. Cecelia is the patron saint of Musicians. Just google “who is the patron saint of ___” and you will get a story back…
Have a wonderful time in Vatican City!
Comments