Church, mosque or temple
Sistine Chapel
Vatican City, Vatican City
The chapel with Michelangelo's famous ceiling and the Last Judgment.
Church, mosque or temple · Vatican City · Vatican City
St Peter's Basilica
The greatest church of Catholicism, with a soaring Renaissance dome.
Free to enter about 1.5 h
For storytellers
Why St Peter's Basilica matters
St Peter's Basilica is built over the traditional burial place of the apostle Peter. The scale is hard to grasp until you are inside, where Michelangelo's Pieta, Bernini's bronze canopy and endless marble stretch before you. The church took more than a century to build.
Talking points
- Michelangelo's Pieta is inside.
- Bernini designed the great bronze canopy over the altar.
- It was built over a very long period.
Free to read aloud or adapt in your video. Check facts that matter to you against an official source before you publish.
Good to know: Free to enter but there is a security queue; cover shoulders and knees.
More in Vatican City
Museum
Vatican Museums
Vatican City, Vatican City
A vast complex of galleries holding some of the world's finest art.
Square
St Peter's Square
Vatican City, Vatican City
Bernini's huge oval square, framed by curved colonnades.
Viewpoint
Dome of St Peter's
Vatican City, Vatican City
Climb Michelangelo's dome for a panorama over Rome.
Also nearby
Within about 40 km, closest first.