St. Peter's Dome, Renaissance dome at St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
The Dome is a structure in Vatican City that rises above the main altar of the basilica with a double-shell construction of brick and travertine. The inner shell displays mosaics with religious figures, while the outer shell is covered with lead panels and crowned by a lantern with columns.
The planning began under Michelangelo in the mid-16th century, but his death interrupted the work. Giacomo della Porta continued the project and altered the original hemispherical shape into a taller silhouette, which was completed by the end of the 16th century.
The structure takes its name from Saint Peter, whose tomb lies directly beneath the center of the vault. Pilgrims and visitors often see the climb to the lantern as a spiritual journey, bringing them closer to the heart of Catholic faith and tradition.
Access is through a narrow spiral staircase inside the basilica that leads visitors upward through several levels. Wait times are shorter in the morning, and the final sections require physical effort through narrow passages between the two shell walls.
The lantern at the top weighs around 800 tons and rests on a framework of iron chains that distribute the load onto the main vault. From the platform beneath the lantern, visitors can see the entire church below and recognize the symmetry of the elliptical plaza.
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