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Old St Peter's Basilica was the building that stood from the 4th to 16th centuries where the new St Peter's Basilica stands today in Vatican City. Construction of the basilica, built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero, began during the reign of Emperor Constantine I. The name "old St Peter's Basilica" has been used since the construction of the current basilica to distinguish the two buildings. Construction began by orders of the Roman Emperor Constantine I between 318 and 322, and took about 40 years to complete. Over the next twelve centuries, the church gradually gained importance, eventually becoming a major place of pilgrimage in Rome. Papal coronations were held at the basilica, and in 800, Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire there. In 846, Saracens sacked and damaged the basilica. The raiders seem to have known about Rome's extraordinary treasures. Some holy and impressive basilicas, such as St Peter's Basilica, were outside the Aurelian walls, and thus easy targets. They were filled to overflowing with rich liturgical vessels and with jeweled reliquaries housing all of the relics recently amassed. As a result, the raiders destroyed St Peter's tomb and pillaged the holy shrine. In response Pope Leo IV built the Leonine wall and rebuilt the parts of St Peter's that had been damaged. By the 15th century the church was falling into ruin. 
 St Peter's Basilica Exterior Views .JPG)
 St Peter's Basilica Interior Views The Papal Basilica of St Peter in the Vatican is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City. Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626. Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world. While it is neither the mother church of the Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome (titles being held by the Archbasilica of St John Lateran in Rome), St Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as holding a unique position in the Christian world and as the greatest of all churches of Christendom." Catholic tradition holds that the basilica is the burial site of St Peter, chief among Jesus's apostles and also the first Bishop of Rome. St Peter's tomb is supposedly directly below the high altar of the basilica, also known as the Altar of the Confession. For this reason, many popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. St Peter's will be visited on two more occasions during the Lenten Calendar - the Fifth Sunday in Lent and the Monday Within the Octave of Easter. Reference: 'St Peter's Basilica' on WikiPedia.org 'Old St Peter's Basilica' on WikiPedia.org All Photographs are from Commons.WikiMedia.org 
Construction Of The Dome Of St Peter's - 400th Anniversary P90 (1990) Roman Basilicas - St Peter's E11 (1949) Altar in St Peter's Basilica 451 (1967) St Peter's Dome 917 (1993) Rome Obelisks: St Peter's C42 (1959) 
 Holy Door 1136 (1999) St Peter 568 (1974) Musical Instruments; Organ in St Peter's 1565 (2014) Holy Year 2000 Great Jubilee - St Peter's Basilica 1137 (2000) Donato Bramante 15th Century Architect 516 (1972) Bernini 3rd Centenary of Death 673 (1980) |
