The Dome of St. Peter's Basilica with its 136 meters in height and its 42 meters in diameter has for centuries been the symbol of the basilica, of Rome and The Vatican City.

It was designed by Michelangelo, who from 1547 dealt continuously with the Basilica. At the end of his long life (he died at 89 years of age in 1564) the construction had reached the drum, characterized by strongly protruding paired columns alternating with gabled windows.

Then the management of the factory passed to Giacomo Della Porta, a pupil of Michelangelo, who raised the vault of the dome by about 7 meters and completed the works in just 22 months, in 1590, during the pontificate of Pope Sixtus V.

With a double cap, the dome has an internal diameter of 42.56 meters and a height at the top of the cross of 136.57 meters; the lantern is 17 meters high.

It served as a model in the western world for subsequent realizations: among the many, even if built in a technically different way, the dome of San Paolo in London (1675), that of Les Invalides in Paris (1680-1691) and the neoclassical roof of the Washington Capitol (1794-1817).

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Did you know that the ancient St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican is also known as Constantine Basilica?

The ancient Basilica of San Pietro in Vatican, also known as Constantine’s Basilica, was located in the same area occupied by the existing building currently. It was founded by Constantine, immediately after that of San Giovanni in Laterano, during the pontificate of Pope Silvestro I (314-335).     The location, which gave considerable problems to the construction, was chosen to …

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