什麼是聖彼得大教堂

羅馬現存的聖彼得大教堂，由教宗尤里烏斯二世於1506年始建，1615年完工。它是教宗的教堂，也是世界上最大的教堂之一，為代替原君士坦丁修建的保留有聖彼得傳統安葬地的舊聖彼得大教堂而興建。根據原布拉曼特的計畫，它應被修建成中央帶圓頂的希臘十字架形。布拉曼特去世後，後來的設計師包括拉斐爾在內，改變原來的設計，將希臘十字架形狀改為了拉丁十字架形。小達.桑迦洛恢復了布拉曼特的對稱設計。米開朗基羅在去世前已經將中央巨大的圓頂基本完成。但教宗保祿五世（約1605～1621）堅持為了禮拜而將其修建成縱剖面圖，並接受了馬代爾諾（1556～1629）的設計，將中央廣場擴展到東面。貝尼尼後來為之增加了帶柱廊的橢圓形廣場作為通往會堂的通道。教堂內部充滿了文藝復興和巴洛克時期的大師作品，包括米開朗基羅的《聖殤》、貝尼尼修建的華蓋、聖朗吉努斯像、烏爾班八世墓和聖保羅的青銅製主教座。

saint Peter's Basilica

Present church of St. Peter's in Rome, begun by Pope Julius II in 1506 and completed in 1615. It is the church of the popes and one of the world's largest churches. It was built to replace Old St. Peter's, erected by Constantine over Peter's traditional burial place. According to the original plan of Donato Bramante, it was to take the form of a Greek cross around a central dome. Successive architects, including Raphael, drew fresh plans after Bramante's death, modifying the original Greek-cross plan to a Latin cross. Antonio da Sangallo the Younger returned to Bramante's symmetrical plan. Michelangelo, who followed da Sangallo, nearly completed the drum for the massive dome before his death. Pope Paul V (r. 1605-21) then insisted on a longitudinal plan for liturgical reasons, and adopted the plan of Carlo Maderno (1556-1629), which extended the nave to the east. Gian Lorenzo Bernini added the elliptical piazza, lined by colonnades, that serves as the approach to the basilica. The interior is filled with Renaissance and baroque masterpieces, including Michelangelo's Pietà and Bernini's baldachin, statue of St. Longinus, tomb of Urban VIII, and bronze Throne of St. Peter.