Celebrating 30 Years of Bliss: The Last Church Post

Another tradition that we have when visiting Rome is to visit St. Peter's Basilica in the early morning hours; right when the doors open, which is at 7:00 a.m. It's amazingly peaceful at that time despite the fact that this is probably one of the main tourist attractions in Rome.

We attend the very early Mass (yes, again!) at the chapel that holds the sarcophagus of Pope John XXIII; Scott's a big fan. It's in Italian, but we can usually follow along.

This video that I took before they open the doors will give you an idea of how tranquil it is at this early hours You can see that it's mostly nuns and priests waiting, and the McClellan's. We always joke about how the nuns push by us to be sure that they get the best seat in their favorite chapel. They're fast! You'll also notice that some of the piazza is under construction.

A few other photos of the Piazza of St. Peter's Basilica.

The Interior
I think that most of you have seen pictures of the inside of the Basilica from our other trips. So, you've seen the beautiful sculptures.

The amazing Papal Altar and Baldicchino (canopy) by Bernini.

The cuppola or dome by Michelangelo.

And, the bronze statue of St. Peter.

However, did you know these little facts?

On the floor of the Basilica are these markings that show where other great churches in the world would be compared to the immense St. Peter's?

That for centuries pilgrims have touched the foot of the St. Peter bronze often saying a prayer or asking for a special blessing.

It's amazing to see how worn it is compared
to the rest of the statue.

Also, at the food of each column of the Baldicchino Bernini sculpted the face of a woman in various stages of childbirth. There are eight total; two on each column. The bees are the symbol for the Barberini family.

There's a little secret hidden in this beautiful 1600's sculpture also by Bernini (and others):

At the foot of the statute on the right (symbolizing Truth) shows a thorn on a map of the world right over England. This is allegedly to show the Pope's (at the time) displeasure at the growth of the Anglican church.

In the Sacristy you can find this carved directory of every Pope and the starting year of their Papacy.

The last entry...

Okay, enough of little known (to me anyway) facts of St. Peter's. I'll close with a photo of probably the most beautiful sculpture in all of Rome - Michelangelo's Pieta. Unfortunately, any photo that I take cannot give it justice.