Yale University, School of Architecture

The History of the Site of St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

Author(s): Charles B. McClendon
Source: Perspecta, Vol. 25 (1989), pp. 32-65
Published by: The MIT Press on behalf of Perspecta.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1567138 .
Accessed: 26/11/2014 16:40

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Yale University, School of Architecture and The MIT Press are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve
and extend access to Perspecta.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
The HistoryoftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome

CharlesB. McClendon

St. Peter'sbasilicain Rome,withthecombined 1. Composite drawingofsuccessive 3. ViewofSt. Peter's

fromabovethe
imageofitsdome,monumentalfacade,colon- plansforSt. Peter'sbasilica. colonnade the
of piazza.
naded piazza and centralobelisk,is one ofthe
mostcelebratedarchitectural ensemblesin the 2. Via dellaConciliazione
looking 4. ThenaveofSt. Peter'slooking
world.Andyet,thereis muchmoreto this westtowards
St. Peter's. westtowards
theapse.
monumentthanis at firstapparent.The com-
plexof St. Peter'sis not theworkof a single
architector eventheresultof a singlebuilding
campaign;rather,it grewout ofvariouscir-
cumstancesand intentionsthatwerefounded
on a continuousbeliefin thesanctityand
powerof thesite.

In thespace of a shortessay,it is impossibleto

discussall of theissuesinvolvedin thedesign
and construction of thisgreatmonument.
Instead,I proposea new wayof approaching
thesubject.In orderto illustratehow a series
of buildingprojectsrespondedto thephysical
demandsand spiritualassociationsof a particu-
lar place,I willtracetheformation of this
architectural montage in reverse chronological
orderbyusingthemethodsof boththearchae-
ologistand thehistorianof architecture.
2

3 4

33

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 /

vim

...J
". ...
\"?
"i
:.~~......??
. ... . ... ...
-. '-?.i-....?..
?-.
..'...... .-
' .
. .
.,,.?.?:.--..
: '
-ua ......
3 i~i ........
....
-
? . ..
. ' ' . .....

"zi
'. '- .

?
." .~i.-."'. ,'?i ..... ., ..

....... .....,.io.??;
? . i
... . " ,

,; "?. .?? ?
...: ':..:.'.o,: '?;- ,,. ..
? :.~i....,.
? ?...?'?L.? .
"?
?'"
.... " :. ......
.......
.., ..t . .. .
: ? ??
i:
?; ?;

. "~:? " I
,,. .?;:?
.

..,.: :.-I..
?. .sr

...
.!

- ..
.....,, ..-. .:.
' L:i; : .
....
.

;?. !!,..! ,.....~ ? .

.
?u, !.. .
-.:..
?~" . :. ..-ta": . :..," :, i
...; .........
"~~ '1;;: . " "
?F ?.
: "
. 1:.

I
. . V
.

LI
-. .

-" ...
..; . . .

:?~ -.w--
.- ...... ..
-.;, ..- ..

.
~~ .. ,,~-,
i!.... .. ~ '
~ ~ ? ........::'.
:-.
..;. ?):
.:.:....:
? ~~" "- ~'" ~.. ; : :: "i I
. ..-..
".". ,
?

L
:1?' _ . i c?? ?

32

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 5 6

5. ViewfromthedomeofSt. Peter's The wealthofvisual,historical,and archae- In orderto fulfillthisambitiousvision,

theTiberRiver
easttowards
looking ologicaldocumentation relatedto St. Peter's Mussoliniand his architectsdevisedhigh-
willmakeit possibleto stripaway,layerby waysofgrandezza,suchas theVia
6. ViewfromthedomeofSt. Peter's layer,theaccumulationof ages and,in so dell'Imperothatcutthroughtheancient
oftheVia della
duringconstruction doing,revealthecontinuumofhistorythat ImperialFora ofTrajanand Augustus,link-
ca. 1940.
Conciliazione, linksa seriesof seeminglydisparateevents ing theColiseumwithPiazza Venezia,and
on a commonsite. theVia del Mare, thatled fromthe
CapitolineHill to theportcityof Ostia on
Any such investigationshould beginby the Mediterraneancoast.Both avenueswere
followingthethoroughfare thatrunsfromthe essentiallycompletedby 1931 and formed
Tiber Riverto thegreatpiazza in frontof thebackboneofla grandeRomaof thefascist
thebasilica.One would assumethatthis era. Not long after,Mussoliniturnedhis
magnificent approach, in line with theobelisk attention to theVatican area.
and thedome of St. Peter's,was theresultof
far-sighted planning.Andyet,before1936, The nameofthemodernboulevardleading
the piazza of St. Peter'swas not directlylinked to St. Peter's,theVia della Conciliazione,or
to theTiber Riveror Castel Sant'Angelo ConciliarWay,refersto thetreatyofrecon-
or evento thecityof Rome itself.It was ciliationsignedin 1929 byMussoliniand
BenitoMussoliniwho initiatedtheconstruc- Pope Pius XI. The road standsas a physical
tionof thisnew boulevardas partofhis grand expressionofthenew relationship between
urbanschemefor"modernizing"Rome. In thesovereignstateofVaticanCity,created
1924,Mussolinioutlinedhis plan forthecity in 1929,and Rome,thecapitalofItaly,a
as follows: nationthatwas unifiedonlyin 1870 and
againstthefervent oppositionof thePapal
I shouldliketodividetheproblems ofRome,the See. The Via is also a chronologicallink
RomeoftheTwentieth Century, intotwocate-
betweenpre-and post-WorldWar II Italy,
the
gories: problems and
ofnecessity theproblems forthe
Onecannotconfront thelatterunless projectbegunin 1936 was not
ofgrandeur. until1950. The Via della
thefirsthavebeenresolved. Theproblems completed
of Conciliazioneis therefore thecreationof
risefromthegrowth
necessity ofRome,andare modernpoliticsas well as a responseto the
1. SpiroKostoff,The ThirdRome, encompassed in thisbinomial:housing and
demandsofmoderntechnology, thatis, the
1870-1950: Trafficand Glory communications. Theproblems ofgrandeur are
ever-present automobile.And anyonewho
(Berkeley:UniversityArtMuseum, ofanother kind:wemustliberate all ofancient
has visitedRome recentlyknowsthatit is
1973),pp. 9-10. Translatedfrom Romefromthemediocre construction that
one of thefewrelatively free-flowingthor-
di BenitoMussolini,
Scrittie discorsi disfiguresit,butsidebysidewiththeRomeof
editedbyHoepli, vol. 6 (Milan: and Christianitywemustalsocreate oughfaresin a cityotherwiseheavilycon-
antiquity
themonumental RomeoftheTwentieth gestedwithtraffic.
1934),p. 93. Century.'

34 oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome
TheHistory

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 -wit,

.r . :,.: ->-. .

I?k
11-ah
41V
............:...

-Ia ...... 11
7. ViewfromthedomeofSt. Peter's,
,, ;:.., ": %-- ," ,,.. -:.--.,.,-?.-.
.....
ol?
ca. 1890.
... .
-. , to
.. . - aj
mum:
:' r," y- , .
. . ,
8. AerialviewofSt. Peter's
and theVatican,
1929.

.??.I irt
9. Plan ofViadellaConciliazione
showingareas(shaded)destroyed
its
during construction.

!l\[!!! ~
.pb i
.... . . .-,,.-~
'...,,.:;,-.._.
..i:.-. -!

"'
i-e'':
:,,"r

i ? E" .... ? -
'
iitf.:--.: ." .
--;.?--
...
. - i
i.. ::.. .. . i:
.
;!,:--: -2 :,. . ."
"! "i:::
" "
,. !:i:!ii:.: ,,, Cj It;
i
, :...: ,,
"J~~?!*',r 7 ii:i'~ii
h.,..
',, o .....:
:? /;;:!:"::"? .?.. ::i::
., ...,
.......
,...,
"
.....
. ......
_ :....i;.:.::::..:."- ..
'. ";,J ?\ il
,.~,1,"'<
~~?;?~
...........
,;:i,,,

CharlesB. McClendon 35

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 10. CarloFontana,"open"solution The concernsfor"necessityand grandeur"
fora monumental to
approach inherentin thefascistschemeforthe
St. Peter's,1694. Via della Conciliazionewerenot new.The
idea ofprovidinga monumentalapproach
11. CosimoMorelli,proposalfor to St. Peter'scan be tracedto thereignof
a V-shaped avenueleadingto Pope NicholasV in themid-fifteenth
St. Peter's,1776. centurywhen,withtheadviceofthegreat
Renaissancetheoristof architecture, Alberti,
a plan was devisedforthreecolonnaded
streetsto connectthebasilicawithCastel
Sant'Angeloon thebanksof theTiber River.
Like so manyprojectsforSt. Peter's,this
schemewas nevercarriedout,buttheneed
to unitetheVaticanmoredirectlywith
thecenterof Rome remaineda topicof
debateforcenturies.The architectsofthe
Via della Conciliazione,Marcello Piacentini
and AttilioSpaccarelli,forexample,were
greatlyinfluencedbythe designsof Carlo
Fontana,thearchitectof St. Peter'sat the
end ofthe seventeenth century.In hisbook,
Templum Vaticanum, in
published 1694,
Fontanapresentstwobasic solutionsto the
problem:one thatmaybe termed"closed"
and theother"open." The simplestis the
open solution,whichsuggeststhecreation
of a greatV-shapedavenueleadinglikean
invertedfunnelfromtheTiber Riverto
thepiazza of St. Peter's.The otherproposal
presentsa closed solutionwherethe
V-shapedavenueis interrupted by a colon-
naded blockwhichis linkedbynarrowcorri-
dorsto thecurvedarmsof theoval piazza.
Fontana'sprimarymotivationhereseemsto
havebeen one of symmetry: thedistance
fromhis nobileinterrompimento, as he called
it,to thepiazza was to be thesame as the
distancefromthepiazza to the facadeof the
church.He also justifiedthissecondpro-
posal on morepracticalgrounds:

'li

lie t,Blow
. . ..
I.
ISO . J
'

IL
.
F.I
.. . . , ,

S i... 11
!, it
-1
,1 ,
ip_.: '
-I
-ji-jil
~l ll1~ .-kit....

.........
?-.d:-I:
1. it1.6

10
10
IddI

ftss

t~liIi
As

;\Ii --:~--
11w?

i
11

?
A

-~~ d~:
-?AJ~-
?- 4L

36 oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome
TheHistory

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 CarloFontana,"closed"
solution 12. East/west
section
through
fora monumental to
approach nobileinterrompimentoshowing
St.Peter's,1694. elevation enclosure
ofsouth wall.
13. Siteplan
14. Detailedplan

S rd g.
10.----CO".O ,VERSOLA-.TTA P.A

Mr CNc oar 1P;1PRFElTA

a 1G AIINT
JIGVRA M0_Ii

D
i.ud
mM4lq- A ane.
r. 4* L S a .

r
D..CW Pin,.
?.... ..
p .ipw&
CwuririrS*?a

. 4
vI &
121 -- ,,+.+;d+, ....r.- ,
?:,+_+_+::+-o,
-eb'a
,hat
:d...dre
a.k
.&p,'N' c td,
"-". .'" wse,-

rr orcomme
s.: og dr.Mosr
deni

702. .
,,m,.1 -
,i .
C.b.m'..
,Am ,h..h

oh. rt~ tLw.

13t1 -
wn..

13 ~e,.-
~E..o;lr
I:.ni
uc,,,
14;

CharlesB. McClendon 37

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 4
15. Thepiazza ofSt.Peter'sbefore
ofthespinain 1936.
thedestruction

16. DetailfromtheNollimapof
Rome,1746.
. A
section
17. CarloFontana,east/west 4 A
ofSt.Peter'sbasilicaandpiazza, .
1694.
?40
18. GiovanniBattistaPiranesi, 16
" ..
St.Peter'sbasilicaandpiazza, 1748. ?r I?Lr i.
-:.[ .21.. .I~.; -IPI
....''..- :./ -. ... - -
?
':'," ; .. ;:-

1.5.
a.;"-

r
:~-...

2-
..... .
. ..

?rtv 1.

-N-

-* '1
!
tlr IL
1

!
? il . .Ii

16

16 i

ThePontiff and hiscortegeofCardinalswouldbe built,theVia della Conciliazionepresents

abletopassin comfortthrough thecorridorsdur- an ingeniouscompromisebetweenthe
ingprocessions the
without fearof rainor the "open" and "closed"solutions.Like theopen
heatofthesun.And,withthissingleexpense of scheme,it providesthegrandvistafrom
constructingtheproposedcorridors,oneelimi- theTiber Riverto thedome,facade,and
natestheother[expense] thatis annuallymade obeliskof St. Peter's,butin keepingwiththe
ontheoccasion duetotheplanting
ofprocessions closed schemethegreatexpanseof thepiazza
the
of poles and theraisingofawnings, etc., of St. Peter'sis, at leastpartly,
concealedfrom
whichresultin an ignoblesight.2 viewbypropylaea or wingsof twofacing
palacesthatprojectfromtheleftand right
2. Carlo Fontana, Between1934 and 1938,Piacentiniand intothethoroughfare immediatelyin frontof
Templum Vaticanum(Rome: 1694), Spaccarelli,followingFontana'sexample,also thepiazza. The irregularities in thealignment
pp. 179,243. proposedalternative schemes,butas finally of thebuildings'facadeswhichframethe

38 oftheSiteofSt. Peter'sBasilica,Rome
TheHistory

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
18
boulevardare maskedbytwoparallelrowsof
islandsbearingstreetlampsin the
traffic
formof miniatureobelisksthatlead theeye
to theultimategoal of thebasilica.
Beforeconstruction of theVia, earlyphoto-
graphs and maps show thattwonarrow
streetsled in divergentpathsfromtheTiber
Riverto St. Peter'sbasilica,forminga central
triangularseriesof buildingsknownas the
spina spine.For anyvisitorto theVatican
or
before1936,thevastpiazza in frontof St.
Peter'scame as a surprise,as an unexpected
This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
explosionofspace. One mightthinkthatthe
grandoval of thepiazza servesas a perfectfoil
forthecrowdedurbanenvironment ofthe
spina,and yetbeforethemiddleoftheseven-
teenthcenturytherewas no formalpiazza but
onlyan irregular,unpavedarea in frontofthe
church.The piazza and colonnadewerethe
creationofGianlorenzoBerniniwho between
1659 and 1667 transformed an unimpressive
open lot - referred
to by contemporaries as
the or
simply platea open space - intothe
majesticceremonialentranceto thegreatest
shrinein Christendom.
19. Bernini,planofthepiazza and
at colonnade-corridorjunction.
elevation

20. Bernini's
workshop, preliminary
drawingforthepiazza, ca. 1656.

21. Anonymous caricature

drawing,
oval
ofBernini's designforthepiazza,
1659.

22. Diagramofthepiazza showing

and oval.
ofobelisk
relationship

23. DetailfromtheTempestamap
ofRome,showing plateabefore
construction
ofBernini's
colonnade,
1593.

24. IsraelSilvestre,
detailfrom
panoramic fromthedomeof
view
St.Peter's,1641.

19

20 21

22

40 oftheSiteofSt. Peter'sBasilica,Rome
TheHistory

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
DrawingsbyBernini'sassistantsand other 3. TimothyKitao,Circleand Oval

drawingsin his own handmakeit possibleto in theSquareofSaintPeter's

followthecreativeprocessof thepiazza's (New York:New YorkUniversity
design.His workshopfirstproposeda rectan- Press, 1974),p. 14.
gularpiazza and thena circularone. Only
thendid Berninihimself,in his characteris-
ticallysketchymanner,arriveat thefinal,
ellipticalsolution.Berninifoundmeaningin
thisconfiguration. As he explained:
SinceSt. Peter'sis,so tospeak,theMother
Churchtoall otherchurches, accu-
theportico
her
ratelyexpresses act ofmaternallyreceiving
in heropenarmsCatholics tobeconfirmed
in thefaith,hereticstobereunited withthe
Church, and unbelievers tobeenlightenedbythe
truefaith.

From a formalpointofview,thedesignof
thepiazza was determinedbytwointersecting
circlescenteredaboutthefamiliarobelisk
whichstandsin frontof thefacadeof
St. Peter's.Andyettheobelisk,too,was a
23

24

CharlesB. McClendon 41

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 25

26

recentadditionto theplatea.For
relatively broughtto Rome byone ofthe Roman
centuries,the obeliskhad stood not in front emperors.But sincetheMiddle Ages,popu-
of thebasilicabutalongitssouthernflank, larlegendhad it thatthegoldenorb atop
in frontof twoancient,cylindrical mausolea. theneedle containedtheashesofJulius
In 1586 theobeliskwas moved,at the Caesar. For SixtusV, therefore, theobelisk
of
instigation Pope SixtusV (1585-90) and in itsnew settingin frontof St. Peter'ssym-
his architect,
Domenico Fontana,usingan bolizedthetriumphof theChurchover
elaboratesystemofropes,pulleysand rollers paganism.In the spiritoftheCounter-
thatmayappearto us likea scene from Reformation, thePope had theobelisksur-
Gulliver'sTravels
but thatin its own day was mounted a
by crossand placed on a new
hailedas thetriumphof "moderntechnology." base withan inscription thatreads:"Behold
The obeliskwas knownat thetimeto have theCross ofthe Lord! Flee adversaries, the
come fromancientEgyptand to havebeen Lion ofJudahhas conquered."

42 TheHistory
oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
25. Viewoftheplateawithobelisk, 27. Domenico Fontana,theVatican
ca. 1588. Thestairsin thecenter
lead in
obelisk situwithmodelsofvarious
oftheatriumofthe
totheentrance proposals 1589.
foritsrelocation,
abovewhichrisesthedrum
oldchurch
ofthedomeofthenewchurch. 28. DomenicoFontana,themoving
oftheVatican 1589.
obelisk,
26. Viewoftheplateaat the
ofPopeSixtusVin 1585
coronation
priortothemovingoftheobelisk.

i"~'
?
.. --
-
...

W.
:
.i .:--:_
.
............ ' .....
'IB
~
"...... :".
.

" -..t .,- --

_.7.
/s
,a~~
-__.~
...
~ I
...-. N..

iff

............

4-.

27 28

CharlesB. McClendon 43

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 29. GiovanniFrancesco
Bordino,
streets
cityplanofradiating
duringthepontificate
proposed of
SixtusV,1588.
.
!lilt...
............ . j
30. TheEgyptian at the
obelisk
a--I JM
7--

Piazza delPopoloerectedduringthe
ofSixtusV
pontificate
-rsf
""' ",~ "'
j.r.-~ 31. DetailfromtheDupirac-Lafrery
.rs.,ar
mapofRome,1577.

X46_- .
6._-Er 32. CarloFontana,viewofsouth
themoving
flankofSt. Peter'sbefore
Ai-- oftheobelisk,
1694. On theleftare
therisingwallsofthenewbasilica;
in thecenter are the
foreground
4r+ obelisk
anda late-antique
mausoleum;
29 r~" , in thecenter
andrightbackground
,, ._.. ..._
is thesilhouette
ofthenave,atrium,
UP and belltoweroftheoldchurch.
- " r--
'Woo
..

i
,._, --- -.,
,- ,.C' ,.

+
.i
K/.
Tr. . . __ +_+._ . .-__.._
._..
29 k\ t.. .30o . :

r
aa
-5, lc

,,

??~ .
..

i.~ .......: ... ...

--:"-
..?..... . .
?,.
.
.......
!,+".++.
-r ...
+ .......
. .:! _
.?
'... . .. . .. - .. .:.-
.. .? +- " ,
::+--
--- --

-,..."i+- .,,... .
..

;
3O? ... - . : - ?
- . .
? -+: .....
. .. . "
,i : ... . . . +- =
I+.:. ~?-L 2~?~
7~_7~~~S~i'~t
+.lL
L::+;?
. f .--
. - . . --" ",

44 oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome
TheHistory

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
The movingof theVaticanobeliskmarked horse,or in a carriage,startfromwhatever
the firstof severalsuchundertakings place in Rome one maywish,and continue
sponsoredbySixtusV duringhis briefponti- virtually in a straight line to themost
ficate.He had otherobeliskserectedin the famousdevotions."'SixtusV, on theother
Piazza del Popolo and alongsidethechurch hand,referred to the"variousand diverse
of S. Maria Maggioreand thenew papal perspectives to charmthesenses"
...
palace adjoiningtheLateranbasilica.Not afforded bythenew avenues.Not surpris-
onlydid there-useof ancientmaterialrepre- ingly, once theVaticanobeliskwas in place
sentan interpretatio of Rome's
christiana in frontof St. Peter'sbasilica,thePope
pagan past, but it formed partof an ambi- expresseda desireto demolishthespinain
tiousprogramofurbandevelopmentwhere orderto createuna bellaprospettiva. But like 4. GiovanniBordino,De rebus
theobeliskswereused as focalpointsfora Pope Nicholas V beforehim, Pope SixtusV gestisa SistoV (Rome: 1588).
preclare
new networkof radiatingstreets.In symbolic neversaw hislastwishfulfilled. For while
terms,thisurbanschemewas described the star-shapedpatternof streetshad been 5. Domenico Fontana,Della
at thetimeas the"radianceof thestaron the laid out in a sparselyinhabitedsectionof dell'obelisco
trasportazione Vaticano
mountains,"referring to itsresemblanceto Rome,theconstruction of an avenueleading e dellefabriche
di NostroSignore
a five-pointed starcenteredaboutthechurch to St. Peter'srequiredthe demolitionof Papa SistoV(Rome: 1589).
of S. Maria Maggioreon theEsquilineHill.4 a denselypopulatedarea,makingsucha TranslationfromSigfriedGiedion,
Domenico Fontana,as thepapal architect, projectprohibitively expensive.As already Space,TimeandArchitecture,
saw it froma morepracticalpointofview,as noted,it was leftto a moderndictatorto 5threvisededition(Cambridge,
an aid to pilgrimage:"One can byfoot,by finallycarryout theplan. Mass.: M.I.T Press,1967),p. 93.

-W4

77 501141
........
~-~T~a-~~?;
.
? -------------? --- .. ... . .
:-
-v
.
-?r
I? -i~~~
.

An
- ,.. . - . ..
.......
... . . ...... .

,~ ~
. ....
" . - .... .. ioip.iii
..
... .-,,,..-,-..,..o...
.. -,,,-.....''-'-*.-4.;
. ....
"
.. ,.",-. ..
o ?00 O.-
. .-, -., ..".;;' .. . .... .
L??
- .,--. .
--
??-.; ? Z.. ?
. .-.; .
I
. .
. :;--
... . ,- ,, - .... ... ,. - ? -, -. -.. :-:--:. _.. . .. ----'... 7. .
.. ..

" .. . .-: '- . .

, -...- =..'. ..... " o"-:T
0,:-" .,'?"' '
.
. .

--
' *. ..
,--
....

i ~ ~ ~ ~in*..; _M
'" ;+
.
?I
ill I
. ---
.,.. -
/ " "
"
.., -'--- %
, 1
r,.. .... .-.-----------

-2mw

32? ;-~~~
.'..
_
- , .1-7
" --.4
.
...
. ..-.
.. .....?....
, -, "--
=,'
-
~ ~~ ~
_, .. . _
~ -."
. .
~.... ~
'-. ...
~
..". .. ,.,
~
"
, .
. ..
~
._
- -..? . . :
......
:
.
.. .-
;-
-

'...- 32x?r~.
iv

.-L:ei
I
~ .7
A
Al
3Cs .?
7._-..- -.,,- caI, . .:,-- .. ,?-:-c--
I-

CharlesB. McClendon 45

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Atthetimeofthemoving oftheobelisk, stood withoutthe drumofthe dome;
thegreatdomeatopthechurchhadyetto instead,one saw onlythemassivepiersand
be completed. Thisdominant feature, connectingarchedvaultsof thecrossing
envisioned by all architectsof St.Peter'sin overthecrumblingshell
risingmajestically
thesixteenth was
century, completed by of theold church.
GiacomodellaPortain 1590.Although
Michelangelo is usuallygivencreditforthe All thebuildingactivitydiscussedthusfar
design ofthe present dome,he infact was theresultof thedecisionin 1506
intended ittohavea muchlowerprofile. by Pope JuliusII to replacethe old basilica
His hemispherical domewouldhavecon- withwhathe confidently feltwould be a
veyeda senseofweightandcompression greaterstructure. As he explainedin an
anda farmoreorganicrelationship withthe edictissuedin 1513,thenew church"was to
restofthebuilding thantheattenuated taketheplace ofa buildingteemingwith
structureoneseestoday.Atthetimeof venerablememories,"and thatin so doingit
Michelangelo's deathin 1564,however, only "was to embodythegreatnessofthepresent
theraiseddrumprovided a silhouette to and thefuture."6 The architectin charge
6. Ludwigvon Pastor,TheHistory thecity.Fortunately, manyartists livingin of thisimportanttaskwas Donato Bramante
ofthePopesfromtheCloseofthe orvisitingRomesketched thegreatbuilding who had onlyrecentlyarrivedin Rome
MiddleAges,3rdEnglishedition, enterpriseduring thisperiod,allowing one fromMilan. Specificdetailsof Bramante's
vol. 6 (London: J. Hodges, 1891- to followitsprogress stepbystep, over designforSt. Peter'sremainthetopicof
1953),p. 464. manydecades.In the1530s,St.Peter's considerabledebateamongscholarstoday.

. .

33. Michelangelo,
earlydesign
for
33
thedomeofSt. Peter's.

I WE 34. EtienneDupirac,west/east
-?
""!11 I '1
.-
I
sectionofMichelangelo 'sfinaldesign
..-'.-- ,.,

:?
r ri~ forSt. Peter's,ca. 1569.
.
33..?
..,.....,

34t
5
'[
35. Paul Letarouilly,
section
ofSt.
as completed
Peter's
west/east
basilica
afterMichelangelo's
death,1882.
34

35

46 TheHistory
oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 36. G.A. Dosio,exterior
viewof 38. G.A. Dosio,interior
viewofthe
St. Peter's, theatriumand the
showing ofSt. Peter'sshowing
crossing the
remainsofthenaveoftheoldchurch drumofthedomeunderconstruction,
infrontofthecrossing
anddrumofthe ca. 1562.
domeofthenewRenaissancechurch,
ca. 1565. 39. Martinvan Heemskerck,
interior
viewofSt. Peter'slooking
west,
37. Martinvan Heemskerck,
exterior ca. 1535. In theleftand right
fore-
viewlooking southat thenew groundare theremainsofthewallsof
St. Peter'sunderconstruction,
ca. 1540. thenaveoftheoldchurch;in the
In thecenterbackgroundare thepiers center
background are thearchesand
and archesofthecrossing
(belowthe piersof newchurch
crossing the
nearestarchare theremainsofthe a smallshrinedesigned
surrounding

k northtransept armoftheoldchurch);
totherightis theexterior
elevation
of
byBramantetoprotect
thehighaltar
and tombduringconstruction.
'r.., thechoirdesigned
byBramantebut
onfoundationslaid byBernardo
19 resting
ho~s. Rossellino
duringthepontificate
of
PopeNicholasV;totheleftstandsthe
rnr l?~~ easternhalfofthenave
.- remaining
v. . .. oftheoldchurch.
.".?.?
36 ...
: : ,,
.
............
.
... .. .,. ........
....

?-,: . . ;*.1 -r :
:,
.~. .. :
.. , "~ ... " ?
.. .. ? .. .. .: . . . .. .. .
. .. . .. .

......
..

- . c.
.:..:.::
37 f
i 17-L .:.
..? f'.;:

?~~ ~ ~ .. ~ ~~~~~
7"~~~~~~ " ---:: ' .:.
?'i .., . .... ...

Wrr
,

.-::- ....f
. - ; -;
r

...
,

.
! " ??i

I ~ i,,
t.l " . -::."
37i ,-
'v }.....:L.. ; " -7::'-'"::--,.
.. . ? ....... :.. ,z
?r' -,
? . . ?,j . . ,. . ..

i i ;-
rf~r
~- i
... ILL~ -:...... i~::I ,,

o~ s~h..
39
:!

h i
. .. ... .. .. ..

,t....: :i
-::i:,...
.r 8 i
,.~ ..
.... .,.,-:.

?, .;i' 39?? ,,
'...

CharlesB. McClendon 47

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 .._ ..
P . . ..
A-
o .
...P...:.X: .,.

i
.i
. ................... . . . ........
.... ..

40 41

All agree,however,thata greatdome was

envisionedas thepredominantfeatureofthe
i
! -!, .. new churchfromthebeginning.Such a dome
is represented in a famousmedal,mintedfor
....
thegroundbreakingceremonyofApril18th,
42a 1506,and is one ofthefewofficialrecords
of Bramante'sintentions. Traditionhas it that
Bramantewishedin thisdesignto place
thedome of thePantheonoverthevaultsof
theBasilicaofMaxentius,believedin the
sixteenthcenturyto be the Templum Pacis
or "Templeof Peace" in theancientRoman
Forum.Clearlythenew St. Peter'swas meant
to rival,ifnot to surpass,the greatestmonu-
mentsof ancientRome bothin scale and
N?
?,

technologicaldaring.In 1570,forexample,
. .
... .
4.

thearchitectPalladio wrote,"Bramantewas
thefirstto bringbackto thelightof day
thegood and beautifularchitecture thathad
been hiddensincethetimeofthe ancients."
The boldnessand beautyof Bramante's
basic conceptservedas an inspirationforall
subsequentarchitects of St. Peter's.

Andyetthedecisionto demolishOld
St. Peter'swas one ofthemostaudacious,
artistin thecircle
40. Anonymous and some wouldsayoutrageous,actsin the
ofthePantheon,
section
ofBramante, historyof architecture.In fact,the decisionto
Rome,earlysixteenth
century. destroytheold churchwas criticizedat
thetime.Even thefamoussixteenth-century
41. BasilicaofMaxentius,
Rome, artistand historianGiorgioVasari,who
builtin theearly A.D.
fourthcentury praisedBramante's"wonderful skill,"did not
hesitateto pointout thatthesame architect
medalof
42. Commemorative "was so anxiousfortheworkto progressthat
Bramante's designforthenew he destroyedin [old] St. Peter'smanyfine
St. Peter's,1506. tombsofpopes,paintingsand mosaics,thus
obliteratingthememoryofmanyportraitsof
andplanof
43a,b. Serlio,elevation greatmen scatteredabout theprincipal
Bramante'sdesign for domeofthe
the churchof Christendom."'7 For thisreason,
newSt. Peter's,ca. 1540. contemporaries gave Bramante thenickname

48 oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome
TheHistory

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Bramanteruinanteor "Bramantethe St. Peter'sas partof a coordinatedeffort to 7. GiorgioVasari,TheLivesof

destroyer." It shouldbe recognized,however, restorepapal authority, for,as he explained theMostEminentPainters,Sculptors,

thatOld St. Peter'swas in a bad state to his cardinals,"whenvulgarbelieffounded andArchitects,
translatedby
of repair.Pope JuliusII referred to it as on doctrinesoflearnedmenis continually A. B. Hinds,vol. 2 (New York:
"thedilapidatedchurch,"and contemporary confirmed and dailycorroboratedbygreat E. P. Dutton,1927),p. 189.
accountsrevealthatthesouthwall of the buildings, which are perpetualmonuments
ancientnavewas so out ofplumbthata and eternaltestimoniesseeminglymade by 8. von Pastor,TheHistory
ofthe
thicklayerof dusthad collectedrendering God, it is foreverconveyedto those,both Popes,vol. 6, p. 179.
theonce vividmuraldecorationvirtually presentand future, who beholdthese
illegible.Alreadyin themiddleof the admirableconstructions."9Still,thecore of 9. CarrollW. Westfall,
In This
fifteenth century,Albertireportedto Pope St. Peter'sand itsbasic designwereto be left MostPerfectParadise:Alberti,
NicholasV that"I am convincedthatvery largelyintactso thattheNicholinescheme NicholasV,and theInvention
of
soon some slightshockor movement forremodelingthebasilicacould be likened Conscious
UrbanPlanninginRome,
willcause it [thesouthwall of thenave]to to a reliquaryon a monumentalscale. For 1447-55 (University
Parkand
fall.The rafters of theroofhave draggedthe variousreasons,theprojectofNicholas V London: PennsylvaniaState
north wall inwards to a corresponding was nevercompletedin itsentirety - onlythe Press,1974),p. 33.
University
degree."8In responseNicholas V initiated foundationsof thechoirand transeptwere
an extensiveremodelingof theold church builtin thePope's lifetime.Butitsvery
involvingthestrengthening of theouter natureservesto underscorethefactthat
walls,theconstruction of a monumental beforethereignof Pope JuliusII, not only
choirbehindtheveneratedtomb,and the was theApostle'stombconsideredsacro-
insertionofvaultingin theouteraislesand sanct,but theentirebuildingitselfwas seen
transeptin whatwas consideredto be a more as a holyrelicofthefoundingof the
modem style.He also saw therebuildingof ChristianChurchin Rome.

VCqdu
dedem
&mcf
cs
rardwgmpide
dudiechpr
Wfi(am
bicu
peu Mob
SIE1mr-
&fnr-iir
?fse
cme~fbnail~aa~
uezue reiuoran
DES ANTIQVITES

mdbnzuodpclrad
LE
IJ,.LiVRL.
CHAP.IIL

driduly.e9.Iee--A.
deauoangicumrmrrp cvrauoira'i.'
que feuftref
fles
r
1Cw3U d& Se jw fri;zqui anu.a e%.udris ..

res.EClaqulff dreff "

one(ncmm 'par Ess-dr,. fem. ?mtm.lIW m
?qIW m _
cuffafmiotctaukumn
acM.&y rch~it
akdifierfrmw
crc,&n&)
.)
depaow &mmi qccmdt
dak:PaDdov
., E . ..
penfai F'_mt
uopgmmdeadaepiOcededeprmy
g,,tr
cnaerdctelkhauk do=a zio;
geme i dizq-myu v r.... mmiu.
AM&i ..e. w tiu-iide . . ' -
phar , t dexm .c.
fIOMIdipcdeu
iid
rbLc"-nOw.
te,?n io&
dytrcll
CeeaIretimideoupa__euxquen ee.
chafes
=S cm
e e G
c h
budia
dmA dlaumu
&a
F:larilefide,-rin
, cn fcaudw.Lsmefumdsdtemnr'.,-
.diae
,coni nalkpdmId."
ie

,
? : :~~i~ii
S
0 :7.-
.- .............................
......
...

-lu.:g:1..L.
""
?r
?: "

-
:N
A. _. .,.-... .... .. . .. : " " .
...

4Mi
___:

" -
'~ .7
43ba
!i Z-a r'
-":i:
"

Ill
?

MIUM , :-?
,:: : -::I:-

43bII
. ...?.......
43a

CharlesB. McClendon 49

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 L? tt

iI
..

-?I.?4
,i
*? 0*

r..
, ?

i
,

i+- ?~
"
o
".
i? i'
o.'
;,; ,... ...0. 0

++ ?

i
ccn ?
0r?? 0
'.-
R*7-

~i
??
iii+
... ?,.' *
? 0

' .
':i' i "" ...- .
.

*0.0

45
44.. 0

?S
004
.

44 45

Before1506,thebasilicaof St. Peterhad Planandelevation drawingsoftheEarly

stoodvirtually unalteredforalmost1200 years. Christian church madeinthesixteenth and
Bramanterealizedthathe wouldhaveto earlyseventeenth century,beforeitwas
buildaroundtheold churchand thehighaltar totally destroyed (thelastremains ofthe
in orderto permitcontinuedliturgicaluse. As navewerenotfinally torndownuntil1605-
one mightexpect,he began bymakinga survey 12),showthat inthecourse oftheMiddle
drawing of the construction site.Bramante's Ages and the Renaissancethe interior
space
not
drawing only recordshis burgeoning had become clutteredwithsubsidiaryaltars,
ideas forthenew church- noteespeciallythe individual tombs ofthepopesandother
positionofthefourcrossingpiers- but it officials
oftheChurch, andwiththeshrines
an
provides extremely accurate plan of its of numerous saints.Even theouteraisle
44. Bramante,
planoftheEarly Early Christian predecessor.Indeed, thisis wallswere pierced by numerous funerary
church
Christian overlaidwithhis one of theearliestpreservedarchitectural chapels,attachedtothechurch likebarna-
forthenewchurch,
design 1505/6. drawingsto use a uniform, measuredgrid.In clestoa greatship'shull.Alloftheseembel-
thiscase thegridis composedofsquares, lishmentshadbeenaddedovercenturies by
45. Reconstructedplanfortheremod- drawnfree-hand, thatrepresent5 palmieach, individuals wishing toglorify
Peterandto
elingofSt. Peter'sbyNicholasV whereone palmoequals 22 cm,or approxi- obtainhisblessing bytheproximity oftheir
Bernardo
andhisarchitect Rossellino. matelythewidthof a man'shand.With this burialplace,ortheir tohistomb.
offering,
LeonBattistaAlbertimayhaveserved information, thedesignof theearlierchurch During theMiddleAges,thetombofthe
as an advisor. can be reconstructed withconsiderablepreci- Prince oftheApostles hadbecome themost
sion; thedrawing revealsa relativelysimple important of
goal pilgrimage in Western
46. G. BattistaCostaguti, barn-likearrangement of a centralnave, Christendom; thefaithful,
from kings to
planofOld St.Peter'safterTiberio flankedby doubleaislesand terminated by a paupers,flocked from thefarthestreachesof
Alfarano,1684. transverse hall or transeptwitha centralapse. Europe toprayatthisholyshrine.

50 oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome
TheHistory

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 r

II
...ii..
..
*.
.
*... *..

*a

.
46*."
..

r*.
: D*
* *"
. .,"
aW ..

a I g
"
,r

. *
CI
rt i
i"i ? ??

CharlesB. McClendon 51

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 --'- %/? .~~~ .
?i . ,. : . .

.. -.'..?....
~~~ . .

,.,.........
,,, ....... .:..
?
. .. .
. .
,,,. .:."
..,i..

'' ? ?.
. ..?
..~'

' '
?.: ".. "". :
,. . . "
.? "'?
?:
,:?. , ..:
'/ -' .... . :..
iii ": ""... ''
: ; ]
:: .. .,.' . .., . ..
.."
;:.!i . . .
.:,~~?:y ..
.. i?!
;:. '::":.:!a ,.
..
....!?'i ":"::?:-
?"!':

! ~~: : :i:
::.:
?.!.:::.:
iii' -":
.. . i
' .. ' ,'.;
I:";":" " '/
,,-.-..; . . . .
? :... : ...
. : . ,...
: ?.
. ,. :.:
... .... :
. .
"
.
""
. ,

: " "" "..'. :-::""

?::":: ,.
":! " .. .
:...:::...
,.... ';.i:i~! .:i ..
....:,:::l .
YO ':::i!
:
,:-,-,
:-!-.i. ..: "..
'~~~~~~. :,,':-,, .
47
?o)( r~~~~~s .. .. ..
" :?'~~'i:::i:!i::.
? :::::,,:,I ;:.::",:::"'

Reconstructionoftheapseof
Old St. Peter'sas modifed
by
theGreat.
PopeGregory
47. Axonometric
48. Axonometric thelower
revealing
levelannularcrypt
49. Plan

Reconsruction oftheapseof
Old St. Peter'sbefore
thereignof
theGreat.
PopeGregory
50. Axonometric
51. Plan

48

52 TheHistory
oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Upon reachingtheirgoal,thesepilgrims
foundthemainaltarcoveredby a baldacchino
whichstoodin frontof theapse on a platform
thatwas raisedsome twometersabove the
floorof thechurch.As thepriestor bishop
performed massat thehighaltar,thecongre-
gation was able to catcha glimpseof thetomb
through smallwindow(called afenestella)
a annularor ringcrypt,as it is called,was not
it thata simplebut efficientarrangement was
devisedso thatthevisitorcould pass through
one oftwosmalldoorsto eitherside of
the altarplatform thatled to a curvedsubter-
raneanpassagewayor crypt;at theapexof
thesemi-circular crypttherewas a straight
corridorthatled directlyto the tomb.This
10. LiberPontificalis,
editedby

directlybelow thealtar.Thus theliturgyand partof theoriginalEarlyChristianchurch; L. Duchesne,vol. 1 (Paris:E. Thorin,

tombwerenot onlyphysically linkedbut
visuallyunified.
This formalunionof altarand relicmaybe
creditedto one ofthemostimportant popes
of theMiddle Ages,GregorytheGreat,who
reignedfrom590 to 604. A contemporary
accountin theLiberPontificalis ("Book ofthe
Popes") states simply that "Pope Gregory
arrangedso thatmasscould be celebrated
above thebodyof theblessedPeter."' And
in doingso, thearrangement at St. Peter's
emulatedthevisionof St.Johnas describedin
thebook of Revelation6.9: "I saw underneath
thealtarthesouls of thosewho had been
slaughteredforGod's wordand forthetesti-
monytheybore." GregorytheGreat,as a
man ofhis time,was a fervent believerin the
cultof relics,and in a letterdated594, he
describedthebodyof SaintPeteras "glitter-
ingwithgreatmiracles."He was acutely
awareof theneed forthegrowingnumberof
pilgrimsto be able to come in directcontact
withthetombitself.He therefore saw to
beforethe reignofGregorytheGreat, 1886-1892),p. 312.
anyonewishingto visitthetombof Peter
confronted a "trafficflow"problem.Before 11. Liberingloriamartyrum 1.28,
about 590, approachingthetombhad (Migne,PatrologiaLatina,vol. 71,
been an extremely awkwardaffair, as made col. 728ff).The Englishtranslation
clear bytheFrankishchronicler, Gregory comes fromPeterLlewellyn,
of Tours: Romein theDarkAges(New York:
Praeger,1971),p. 175.
[St. Peter's]sepulchre... isveryrarelyentered.
However, ifone wishestopray,thegatesbywhich
thespotis enclosed are opened,and he enters
abovethetomb:thenhe opensa littlewindow
thereandputshisheadinsideand makeshis
requests according tohisneeds.... Ifhedesires
tocarryawaywithhimsomeblessed he
souvenir,
throws insidea smallhandkerchief [theLatin
wordis brandeum]whichhasbeencarefully
and then,watching andfasting,heprays
weighted
mostfervently thattheapostlemaygivea
favorable answertohisdevotions. Wonderfulto
the the
say,if man'sfaithprevails, handkerchief
whendrawnupfromthetombissofilledwith
divinevirtuethatit weighsmuchmorethan
it didbefore; and thenhe whopulledit upknows
thathehasobtained thefavorhesought."

. .. ~ ~:' .?. .
-~ ? )7 ..?
?..?7
.... ;. ,? :
I..?

?'... r.
/zi[~~? . ::.. .
...
.......
low..

--
-__~~~~.
I--.41.......

49 y

CharlesB. McClendon 53

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Medieval pilgrims, liketouriststoday,often
wishedto takehome a mementoof their
travels.An ivorybox,now in theArchaeo-
logicalMuseumin Venice,was carvedaround
theyear400 to servesucha purpose;itwas
designedto containa contactrelicor piece of
clothsimilarto thebrandeum mentioned
by GregoryofTours.Moreover,thebox bears
theimageof theshrineof St. Peterbefore
theintervention of Pope GregorytheGreat;
herethemarkersurmounting thetomb
of Peteris at floorlevel.On theivoryrelief,
pairedmale and femalefiguresare shown
prayingin thetypicalEarlyChristianmanner,
standingwitharmsoutstretched and their
handsopen to theheavens.In thecenter,two
smallerfiguresare shownbeforethetomb
monumentlookingas iftheyare trying
to open that"littlewindow"and "sticktheir
heads inside"in themannerdescribedby
GregoryofTours.

Framingthesefiguresare representedsix
eleganttwistedcolumnssupportingan archi-
traveand an open canopy.Around600,
GregorytheGreat set thecolumnsin a single
rowin frontof thecryptand altarplatform,
and in the earlyeighthcentury, a secondrow
ofsixmorespiralcolumnswas added. These
columnsshouldappearfamiliar, because
they servedas the models forBernini's
magnificent bronzebaldacchinoof theseven-
teenthcentury. This relationshipwas not
coincidentalas shownbythefactthatBernini
set eightof thetwelvemarblecolumnsin
theupperstoriesof thegreatcrossingpiersof
thepresentchurch,whilea ninthwas placed
in thechapelofMichelangelo'sPietih. Much
likeSixtusV's treatment
oftheobelisk,
52

52. Spiralcolumn fromtheshrine

ofOld St. Peter'snowin theChapel
ofthePieti.

1624-33.
53. Bernini,baldacchino,

fromPolashowing
54. Ivorycasket
theshrineofOld St. Peter's,ca. 400.
53 54

54 TheHistory
oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Berniniand his patronPope UrbanVIII
(1623-44) consciouslyre-usedthese
remnantsof theearliershrineto proclaim
theancientoriginsof thechurchof St. Peter
and to promotetheirconceptof the
Counter-Reformation. The decisionto
re-usetheseEarlyChristiancolumnswas
also based in partupon a learnedtreatise
on theancientshrinewhichhad been sub-
mittedto UrbanVIII shortlybeforeBernini
beganhisproject.Accordingto popular
legend,thespiralcolumnswerenot only
associatedwiththetombofPeter,butthey
werebelievedto havecome originally
fromtheTempleof SolomoninJerusalem.12
Thus in thecrossingof St. Peter's,as deco-
ratedin theBaroque age, thepresentwas
made to mergewiththepast,reverberating
withreferences to boththeBiblicaland IEI
historicaloriginsoftheRomanChurch.

The LiberPontificalis,
however,statesthatit
was theEmperorConstantine(312-37) who
"enclosedthetomb[ofPeter]on all sides ...
withspiralcolumnsbroughtfromGreece." ao a
ol
It was also underConstantinethattheentire
churchwas builtaroundtheyear320. To
envisiontheConstantinian buildingwhenit ] f.] a
was firstcompleteone mustimaginethe
churchwithoutthemedievaladditions.The
unencumberedspace was on a colossalscale.
The navewas 300 feetlong,thetransept225
feetlong and thecentralapse some 60 feet
wide.Renaissanceviewsoftheremainsofthe
Constantinian churchand thepresentchurch
underconstruction revealthattheheightof
theold navewallscorrespondedroughlyto ~i .] a m
thecornicelineof thepresentchurch,mak- n

ing thetotalheightof Old St. Peter'ssome

56
Reconstruction
ofOld St. Peter's
ca. 400.
55. South/north
section.
56. Plan.
57. West/east
section.

12. For theseand otherissues

concerningBernini'sdesignfor
thebaldacchinoand thecrossing
of St. Peter's,see IrvingLavin,
Berniniand theCrossing of
SaintPeter's(New York:New York
Press,1968).
University
57

CharlesB. McClendon 55

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 105 feet.In otherwords,thebuildingof
St. Peter'swas a grandioseenterprise
worthy
of Constantine'simperialpatronage.

There seemsto have been no figuraldecora-

tionin theConstantinianbasilicaas originally
built,yettheinteriorwas aglowwithcolor
frommarblerevetment and a gold mosaicin
the apse. The oftenblandreconstructions of
the interiorof theEarlyChristianchurchare
verymisleading;a frescorepresenting the
basilicaof St.JohnLateranbeforeit was
remodeledin themid-seventeenth century
givesa truersenseof thevisualimpressionof
the fourth-century interior.In thisfresco,one
sees thatthenave colonnadewas farfromuni-
form;columnswereofvarioussizes and col-
ors,and the capitalswereofvariousorders
(Corinthian,Ionic, and Composite).The
reasonsforthisamazingjumbleare not fully
known.Certainly, it representsa love of color
and varietyfortheirown sake.And the
re-useof oldermaterial- fornone ofthese
elementswas made to orderforthe Lateran
or St. Peter's- presumably helpedto speed
the completionof thechurches.But therealso
58
seemsto havebeen a reverencefor,and an
admirationof,artifacts fromthepast.
This attitudeis reminiscent of theuse of
spoliaon the Arch of Constantine dedicated
in 315 wherereliefsofthesecond-century
emperorsTrajan,Hadrian,and Marcus
Aureliusarejuxtaposedto thenarrativefrieze
of Constantine'sown day.It seemsthat
remindersof theGolden Age of Rome were
reassembledin thechurchand on the
triumphalarchto announcethenew age of
Constantine.

Only an Emperorcould havecarriedout

such a lavishenterpriseas the constructionof
St. Peter's.Beforethistime,Christians
had no publicarchitecture of theirown. Early
Christianwritersof thesecondand third
59
centurieswereproudto proclaimthat"we
haveno temples,we haveno altars."In the
greatcitiesof theEmpire,such as Rome,
Christiansmetin apartmentbuildingswith
shopson thegroundfloorand privaterooms
above whereworshippersgatheredfor
ofOld St.Peter's
Reconstruction prayerand thecelebrationof theEucharist.
ca. 400. Baptismtookplace wherevertherewas water
58. Interior
viewoftransept and deceasedmemberswerelaid to restin the
lookingnorth. undergroundcemeteriesofthecatacombs
59. Interior
viewofnavelooking
west. situatedon theoutskirts of thecity.Tenement

56 TheHistory
oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
buildingsand privatehousesservedas the
meetingplaces of theEarlyChristians.
Withoutexception,thesebuildingsremained
inconspicuousfromtheoutsideand repre-
sentedonlythesimplestadaptationsofutili-
fora Christianpurpose.
tarianstructures
withthecon-
All thischangeddramatically
versionof Constantineto Christianity
followinghis conquestof Rome in 312, for
become an
not onlydid Christianity
60
This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
recognizedreligion,freefrom
officially
thepersecutionsof thepast,butit now had
theEmperoras an enthusiastic building
patron.His firstbuildingenterpriseinvolved
the construction ofRome'scathedral,the
churchnow knownas St.JohnLateran.The
completionof theLateranbasilicawas
quicklyfollowedbythebuildingof
St. Peter's.And whiletheLateranservedas 60. F Gagliardi,reconstruction
theadministrative centeroftheChristian ofthenaveoftheLateranBasilica
community in Rome and theresidence arcaded),ca. 1650.
(erroneously
CharlesB. McClendon 57
 ofthepopeuntilthemiddleofthefifteenth Accordingto thisaccount,theupperportion
century,St.Peter'swasbuilttoglorify
the ofan ancientbrickbuildingwas foundbelow
burialplaceofRome'sfirstbishopandPrince thefloorlevelofthegrottoes.Fortunately,
oftheApostles. archaeologicalexcavationsof theimmediate
area werecarriedout between1940 and
The Lateranbasilicawasbuilton thesiteof 1950,althoughworkprogressedveryslowly
anurbanvillaownedbytheLateranifamily duringWorldWar II. Nevertheless,the
sometwocenturies beforethereignof remainsofan ancientRomancemetery were
whichmeantthatitlaywithin
Constantine, a unearthedwithmanydifferent typesof
posh district
residential alongRome's eastern tombs ranging from elaboratelydecorated
just
periphery, insidethe walls.
city St.Peter's, mausolea to unmarked graves.
on theotherhand,stoodfartothewest,
outsidethecityandon theothersideofthe In one area,investigatorsfoundtheremains
TiberRiver,becauseofthepurported location of a wall builtwithbricksbearingstamps
ofPeter'stomb,whichhadbeena focusof of ca. 160 A.D. (becausebrickmakingwas a
Christianveneration
long beforeConstantine'sstate-controlled in theRoman
industry
buildingprojectbegan.In thisway,the Empire,brickswerecommonlydated).At
LateranandSt.Peter'smarked thespiritual some latertime,a crudeshallowniche
polesofEarlyChristian Rome. was hackedout ofthebrickwall. Framing
thisnichewerefoundtracesofa small
It hadalwaysbeenassumedandbymany shrine,consistingoftwocolonnettescarry-
ferventlybelievedthatthesiteof ing a smallpediment.Scratchedintothe
Constantine'schurch wasdetermined bythe plasterthatcoatedan adjoiningwallwere
locationofPeter'stombandyetthespecific foundthewordsin Latin and Greekofmany
natureofthisrelationshipwasunknown Christianprayers, in
and one inscription
In 1940,a portion
untilquiterecently. ofthe Greekwhichreadsimply:PETR[o]S ENI
so-calledgrottoesbelowthepresent or "Peteris here."
church wasbeingremodeled. Aneyewitness
describesthemoment ofdiscovery: Althoughvarioushumanremainswere
foundin associationwiththeshrine,it is
13. Engelbert
Kirschbaum,
S.J., Wewerebusy trying toprovidemore spacefor not possibleto demonstrate conclusively
ofSt. Peterand St. Paul,
TheTombs thenarrow crypt St. I
of Peter's.waswatching the
thattheyrelateto Peter;thereare,afterall,
translated S.J.
byJohnMurray, workmen who,withthis purpose inmind, were
limitsto archaeology.Here it is more
(NewYork:St.Martin's
Press, breakingthrough a wall,behind whichthere
important to recognizethefactthatbythe
1959),pp. 19-20. appearedtobepossibilities
ofextension.In thepro-
year 200, at theverylatest,theChristians
cessa broadwallwasrevealed thatclearlyhadonce of Rome believedthisspotto be thetombof
beenhigher butnowended justunder thefloor Peter.At aroundthattime,a Romanpriest
Oncloser
levelofthegrottoes. its
inspections namedGaius wrote,"I can showyou the
ancient was
masonry clearly Theab-
recognizable.
trophies(tropaia)of theApostles[St. Peter
normal ofmorethantwometers
thickness showed and St. Paul] ... ; ifyou go to theVaticanor
thatitwaspartofamonumental building.
'3 theOstianWay [thesiteofthetombof

58 oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome
TheHistory

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 ,, -
.. , o .-
Gai
.S..S.a.n, . 1211;i
. .......
..?..
..
..t ......... .. ? ? :7 ;~
.Peter'....
~~ R .
7-' 4
?if " " :" "" fcm o...

..
..

.....-....
?' QbjW i
tI,
i.::,:.
ii.--.-.:1:
: : :! .Maria rr . t~ r
.T ix....
~ ~ " ~ ~ ~ ?. ? j -,irL ,?.
.

"~
.";:?,+..... C-71
T61movere
oca:..
c
.I ?:..: ......i..i.
a.?.::<

~~a"C
i ..i.
A
ii
'""
L "
'i
. .. :
..
.. ;
..."... " ...,
:............. ...

:,?
,.~. ~ . . 8. "'

!:.:,:<.:
'.".-":":(.'7i,. i-r;
(,t

:.:..
6.1
.? . .

61
if

r\

CUNW
st

'
;'2'" "

62

6Jl ;

---OF
61. Map ofRome,showing location of
theLateranbasilicaand St. Peter'sca.
500.

62. Viewoftheexcavated
cemetery
belowSt. Peter's.

63. Reconstruction
oftheearly
ChristiantombmarkerofSt.Peter
mausoleain relation
and adjoining to
thefoundationoftheConstantinian
churchca. 200.

CharlesB. McClendon 59

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 N..

t, \
. om',

64. Thehighaltar,baldacchino
of
crossing thenewSt.Peter's.
and

!? ?
?iIi ?? .
?i: "
65. Sectionthrough
thehighaltars
ofSt.Peter's
showingtherelationship
ofthepresentaltartoearlieraltars
and theancientcemetery.

van" a

65

60 TheHistory
oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
St.Paul],thereyouwillfindthetrophies of ofbuilding
ofcenturies andthevertical Ecclesiastical
14. Eusebius, History,
thosewhofounded thisChurch.""The mod- of
thread history. vol.2,pp.25-27.
estyofthetombshrineortrophy, as opposed
totheelaboratebasilicabuiltbyConstantine, Thepurported ofPeterwasonlyone
grave
the
reflects dramatic change in the status
of of in
burials
countless a vastcemetery.
The
theChristiancommunity inRomethattook Apostle's tombwasoriginally oneoftheleast
placebetween thethird and fourth centuries, conspicuous,
wedged in betweenanarrayof
whena modestreligious cultwastransformedelaborate mausolea, with
many richly deco-
intoa majorsocialandpolitical force. rated ofpainted
interiors stuccowallsand
theashurnsof
toreceive
rowsofniches
It wasthismodestshrinethatformed the variousmembers ofa singlefamily.These
focusoftheentireConstantinian complex. tombs have been well preservedbecause
The tombwasframed bytheapse,andthe Constantine daredtobreak thelaw;he
curveoftheapsewasderived fromtheradius confiscated thiscemetery andhadthetombs
ofa circlewiththeshrineatitscenter. The intocreate
filled a platformforhischurch.
plan ofthe in
church, fact, seems to have Such desecration ofthe dead wasillegal,
beenlaidoutusinga moduleof30 Roman evenfortheemperor, butConstantine was
feet,whichis thelengthoftheradiusofthe apparentlyundaunted. The cemetery was
circleaboutthetomb;so thatthedimensions situated onthesoutheastern slopeofthe
oftheentire church maybe saidto revolve Vatican Hilland so thefoundations ofthe '
aboutthetomb.It is notsurprising, north sideofthechurch wereembedded in
...... . ...

literally
therefore,thattheEarlyChristian shrinewas thehillside whilethefoundations ofthe
foundtolie directly belowtheHighAltarof south sideweresome25feetaboveground.
thepresent basilicaofSt.Peter.The one Partofthecemetery andmostofPeter's
element thatneverchangedovertheentire tomb werethusobliterated from view;only
historyof the sitewas thepositionof the theupper halfofthe modest tomb marker
tomb.Fromthelatesecondcentury onwards, was allowed toprotrude above thefloorof
memorials oraltarswerefitted overthetomb, thebasilica atthechord oftheapse.Thefact
oneafter theother.Thisaspectofthesite thatitwasfarfrom anidealsiteforcon-
illustrates
moreclearly thananyotherthe structionemphasizes onceagaintheprimary
relationshipbetween thehorizontal layering importance ofthetombofPeter.
66

66. Plan oftheexcavations

ofthe
ancientRomancemetery at the
Vaticanin relation
tothefoundation
wallsoftheConstantinian
church.

67. South/north sectionofthe

floorofSt.Peter'sin relationship
to
theancient andslopeof
cemetery
theVatican
Hill.

FLOOR LEVEL OF PRESENT BASILICA

LEVEL OF BASILICAOF CONSTANTINE

67

CharlesB. McClendon 61

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

15. Tacitus,TheAnnals14.14.
See alsoJohnH. Humphrey,
RomanCircuses:ArenasforChariot
Racing(Berkeleyand Los Angeles:
Universityof CaliforniaPress,
1986),pp. 545-52.
16. Tacitus,TheAnnals15.44.
17. PlinytheElder,NaturalHistory
36.74.
18. Humphrey,
RomanCircuses,
pp. 269, 549.
62
68
Accordingto ancientRomanlaw,all burials
wererequiredto be outsidethecitylimits
and so vastcemeteriesringedtheoutskirts of
mostmajorcitiesoftheEmpire.Rome was
no exception.Tombs and mausolealinedthe
majorarteriesofthecity,suchas theVia
Nomentanato theeast,theVia Flaminiato
thenorth,theVia Corneliato thewestin the
area of St. Peter's,and theVia Appia to the
south.In antiquity, a cemeterywas referred
Greekfor"cityof thedead."
to as a necropolis,
The narrowalleywaysamongthecrowded
tombsand themanymausoleawithpedi-
mentalfacadesin clearimitationof ancient
Romanhousesmusthaveprovidedthe
impressionof a miniaturecity.As one entered
and leftthecityof Rome,or anymajorcityof
theRomanworld,remindersof humanmor-
talitywereclearlyapparentas the"Cityof the
Dead" embracedthe "Cityof theLiving."
The earliestcoinsand inscriptionsfoundin
associationwiththecemeterybelow
St. Peter'sdate to themiddleof thefirst
centuryA.D. Beforethattime,themajoruse
of thearea had not been forburialbutfor
sportingevents.A largeellipticalstadiumor
circusstoodjustto thesouthof theVia
Cornelia.In design,it musthavebeen similar
to theCircusMaximus.Only portionsof
theVaticancircushavebeen excavatedso that
theexactdimensionsof thestructure are
not known.Howeverin thelate 1940s,
in connectionwiththecompletionof theVia
della Conciliazione,themainend wall (the
so-calledcarcerior prisons,whereanimalsand
prisonerswerekept)was discoveredjustout-
TheHistory
oftheSiteofSt. Peter'sBasilica,Rome
This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
side theperimeterof thepiazza of St. Peter's.
Accordingto PlinytheElder,theVatican
circuswas begunbytheemperorCaligula
(37-41 A.D.), butit seemsto havereceivedits
monumentalformunderNero (54-68 A.D.),
who,accordingto theRoman historian
Tacitus,"encloseda trackin theVatican
valleyin whichhe could drivehorsesat a
showawayfrompublicview."'"It was here
thatChristianswereexecutedafterthegreat
fireof64 A.D. thatravagedmuchof Rome.
Tacitusexplainsthatthe Christianswere
used as scapegoatsforthedisasterand their
deathswereturnedintosport:
They[theChristians] weredressed in theskinsof
wildanimalsand torntopiecesbydogs,orthey
werecrucified orsetfireas humantorches after
dark.Nerooffered hisGardens forthespectacle
andprovided entertainment in theCircus,
duringwhichtimehemingled withthecrowdor
stoodin a chariot,
dressedas a charioteer16
It was in thisstadiumthatPeteris believedby
manyto havemethis death.
Like anyRoman circus,theoval track
was dividedbya centralislanddivider,called
a spina.In themiddleofthespinawas
usuallyan obelisk.We knowfromPlinythe
Elder thattheVaticanobeliskwas setup
bytheemperorCaligula in 37 A.D. after
havingbeen broughtto Rome byshipfrom
Alexandriain Egypt,whereit had been
placed decadesbeforein theRoman forum
IuliumbytheemperorAugustus.'7Origi-
nally,theobeliskhad stoodnotin Alexandria
butin Heliopolis,theancientcenterofthe
 ..\ "
? " a~.9Z."
.....
.....

ei1r ------.....
i

Vi.

Orr

Egyptiansun-cultnearCairo in theEgyptian
delta.Like otherobelisksat Heliopolis it was
probablyquarriedforthepharaohSeti I and
"'
Ej.?
hisson RamsesII duringthenineteenth
dynasty(1314-1197 B.C.).'8 The Vatican
is theoldestobjecton the i 49;
obelisk,therefore,
site.And it was upon thefoundations of
thisrace coursedividerthattheobeliskstood
foroverfifteen hundredyearsuntilthe
69 It
intervention ofPope SixtusV and Domenico
Fontanain thelate sixteenthcentury.

Beforetheconstruction ofthestadiumin the

earlyfirst
centuryA.D., there is littleevi-
dence ofhabitationon thesite.Instead,one
00..

mustimaginean open countryside, withonly

thegentleslope of one of themanyhillsof M
Rome,theMons Vaticanus or VaticanHill - A? ,
thelandformthatwould forevergivethearea ....
., ? ' . ".
..,...,
itsname.

The historyofthesiteof St. Peter'sspans

twomillennia,duringwhichtimetheVatican
NO
area evolvedthroughtheinterrelated
processesof continuity and change.Fromthe
stadiumand obeliskto theancientRoman
cemetery, fromtheEarlyChristianbasilicato
theRenaissancechurch,and fromtheseven-
teenth-century piazza to thetwentieth-centu-
rythoroughfare, each age, inspiredbythe
beliefin thepowerof thesite,added another
layerofmeaningnot onlythroughnew con- 68. ViewoftheViaAppia,late
structionbutalso byincorporating, and thus nineteenth
century.
transforming, artifactsof the past.It is this
consciousand consistentassimilationofthe 69. Plan ofthecircusofNeroin 70. Romanmosaicrepresenting
pastthatallowstheparticularfascination of relationtothesuccessive on
building a chariot
raceina circus,
ca. third
thesiteto endure. thesite. centuryA.D.

CharlesB. McClendon 63

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 SELECTED CHRONOLOGY

1314- Anobeliskisquarried
forthepharaohs
SetiI andRamsesII 1511 The fourcrossing
piersofthenewchurch
arecompleted.
1197B.C. andplacedinHeliopolis,
Egypt.
1546-64 Michelangelo as architect
serves ofSt.Peter's
under
30-20B.C. The emperor movestheobelisk
Augustus totheRoman fiveconsecutive
popes.
forumIuliuminAlexandria,
Egypt.
1586 The obeliskismovedtotheplateainfront
ofSt.Peter's,
37A.D. The Egyptian isbrought
obelisk totheVatican
gardens underthedirection
ofPopeSixtus V andhisarchitect,
inRomebytheemperor Caligula. DomenicoFontana, tothePope'sproposed
according
planofRome.
54-68 A monumental ontheVatican
is constructed
stadium
Hillfortheemperor
Nero. 1588-93 The domeandlantern
arecompleted
byGiacomo
dellaPorta.
64 St.Peteris traditionally
believed
tobe martyred
onthisdate.
1608-18 CarloMaderno,thearchitect
ofPopePaulV,oversees
the
170-200 The shrine
ortropaion
ofSt.Peteris constructed. construction
ofthenaveandfacade.

312 The emperor converts

Constantine toChristianity. 1626 The newbasilicais consecrated
byPopeUrbanVIII.

317-332 ofOld St.Peter's

The construction isundertaken 1624-34 Gianlorenzo
Bernini andbuildsthebaldacchino
designs
the
by emperor Constantine. forPopeUrbanVIII.

590-604 PopeGregory theGreatdirects

theimprovements
tothe 1656-67 Bernini,
underPopeAlexander andoversees
VII, designs
altarabovetheApostle's
tomb. theconstruction
ofthepiazzaofSt.Peter's.

1450-55 PopeNicholasV andhisarchitect,

LeoneBattistaAlberti, 1929 PopePiusXI andMussolini
signa treaty
ofreconciliation,
a project
propose building St.
for Peter's
andtheBorgothat the state
creating sovereign of VaticanCity.
includes
theremodelingofthebasilica. the
Only foundations
oftheproposedchoirarecompleted. 1936-50 Mussolini's MarcelloPiacentini
architects, andAttilio
Spaccerelli, out
carry thedemolitionofthespina
1506 PopeJuliusII withhisarchitect,
DonatoBramante, andtheconstruction
oftheVia dellaConciliazione
initiate
thedemolitionoftheEarlyChristianbasilica. and thepropylaea.
stoneofthenewSt.Peter's
The first is laidonApril18,1506.

64 TheHistory
oftheSiteofSt.Peter'sBasilica,Rome

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 IWA*
i:Aix
!11 ?I--U?.
'. L- .
....
... .ol'.'I ._, . ___

?il r
nl
"."r '?;':i ?'iii[;-
?:?L
._..
... .' "-':: ?
..., .::i
:" : -
: '?~
..:? .

.pi
ig~ ..
k
i.
-~I
. . .. .. . .
.."
i.:
'.
" ...c ..

;. , , . .. .
;i-. i: . . ..,
?: . ?
"-. sae tiea gera s --~?
.s~= .: -

?.
r I ?
?i.
i
?.. ..

.-./
....
.-"-
?
?. ::,!- ...? .. r.. . -""-
...h7~?.. i- ,':.--.-:ir? ... :.,,
??4 .
-:
??'li
......' - ......'.- " ;.': -::
:
-;:,-i-:
.::. . ...:,.

71. Domenico
Fontana,an Egyptian 72. TheSecondLetterofPeter,12-13: wayof reminder,sinceI knowthat
obelisk
transformed byPopeSixtusV, ThereforeI intendalwaysto remind theputtingoffofmybodywillbe
fromDella trasportatione you of thesethings,thoughyou know soon, as our LordJesusChrist
dell'obeliscoVaticanoe delle fabriche themand are establishedin thetruth showedme. And I willsee to it that
di Nostro SignorePapa SistoV thatyou have.I thinkit right,as long aftermydepartureyou maybe able
(Rome:1589). as I am in thisbody,to arouseyou by at anytimeto recallthesethings.

CharlesB. McClendon 65

This content downloaded from 209.198.70.9 on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:41:02 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions