Piazza San Pietro

St. Peter's Sqaure has developed and evloved right alongisde Christianity, continuously changing to meet the needs of the Church. The piazza dates back to the time of the ancient Romans, when the site was home to the Circus of Nero. The Circus saw the crucifixion of many early Christians, including St. Peter. It wasn't until Constantine's reign in the 4th century when the site became anchored as the home of Christianity. The establishment of a Church on the same land that saw so many martyrdoms is a testament to Christianity's ability to overcome these persecutions. Constantine leveled the Mons Vaticanus, known as the Vatican Hill, around 300 AD. Constantine created an open, flat space in front of his basilica named after St. Peter. The area would remain in roughly the same configuration for more than one thousand years. However as time marched on, the basilica wore down and was in desperate need of repair. In 1505, Pope Julius II began a massive campagin to rebuild the basilica. This project would take over a century to complete and last through through several generations of Popes, with each leaving his own mark on the piazza.


The first major change to the square was the relocation of the obelisk. This obelisk was originally built in 1835 BC by Pharaoh Mencares to honor the sun. But, it was looted from Egypt in 37 BC for the spina of Nero's Circus. The obelisk was present during the martyrdom of many Christians in Nero's Circus, including St. Peter. In 1586, Sixtus V had Domenico Fontana move the eighty four foot tall, red granite obelisk to its current position in the middle of the piazza. The massive size of the obelisk coupled with its monumental importance to Christianity required that the move, which was an incredible engineering feat, take place with extreme care. The move took place at the height of the Reformation and lasted four months, involved some nine hundred men, one hundred forty horses, and the use of forty four winches. Because of the religious significance of the obelisk the move was required to take place in absolute silence.Fortunately, this vow was broken by one of the workers when one of the ropes was beginning to break. He was forgiven and asked how he could be thanked. He simply replied that he wished for his hometown to supply the palms to St. Peter's. The obelisk serves as a reaffirmation of Christianity's triumph over paganism and is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since ancient times.

Several more additions occurred before Bernini began his work on the piazza. The next major change that affected the square was the completion of the façade of St. Peter's Basilica in 1612 by Carlo Maderno. The façade acts as a backdrop for the piazza and is very important for the entire viewing of the space. However, the completion of the façade was rushed and not well thought out. Pope Paul V commissioned the work and was most likely eager to take advantage of the opportunity to palce his name on such a prominemt place. The façade received much criticism for its improper proportions and cramped features. The façade was too wide for its height and crowded with windows and balconies that are crammed between the columns and burdened with elaborate decorations.

Paul V also commissioned the next addition to the piazza in 1613. He hired Carlo Maderno to build a fountain to commemorate the restoration of the Acquaa Paola aqueduct. Prior to this restoration, there had been an inadequate water supply in the city. This improvement was much welcomed by the Roman citizens. The fountain also carries the coat of arms of Paul V.

It was Bernini, under the comission of Alexander VII, who is the most responsible for the the Square as it is today. Bernini starting working on the piazza in 1656 for eleven years.

Alexander

Pope Alexander VII was born Fabio Chigi in Sienna in 1599. He came from a wealthy banking family and was well educated, receiving doctorates in philosophy, law, and theology. In 1627, he began his religious career as Vice-Legate of Ferrara and held a variety of positions over the years. In 1651 Pope Innocent X, his predecessor, appointed him Secretary of State. In this position, he was which placed him in charge of the Vatican's political and diplomatic activities. Innocent X made Chigi a cardinal in 1652. Innocent X was heavily criticized for his nepotism and when he passed away in 1655, the Church was in need of a leader who would not further abuse his powers in such a manner. Alexander VII was exactly what the church was looking for and was elected as Pope after a conclave that lasted eighty days. During his first year as Pope he kept his family ties separate from his office, even going as far as to forbid his relatives to visit him in Rome. However, the following year Alexander began to fear that the papal court would be weak without family ties. He invited his brother and relatives to Rome and gave them positions within his administration. In addition, Alexander VII sponsored a number of building projects and was favored by the Roman people for restoring Rome to the glory of its ancient days. Alexander VII was a patron collaborator and was known for working closely with his architects, including Bernini. Bernini featured several of Alexander VII's concepts in his final design of the piazza that stands today.

Bernini

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini was born in 1598 in Naples. His father was a mannerist sculptor and allowed young Giovanni to accompany him to several projects in Rome. Pope Paul V quickly recognized his skill as Bernini gained favor with the Pope's nephew Cardinal Scipione Borghese by producing a number of statues for him. Bernini became well known as a sculptor for these works and his reputation spread through Rome. Bernini moved on to work on a number of architectural projects for the papacy over the years, including the Baldacchino. However, he is most well known for his work on St. Peter's Square.

Bernini Begins Working on the Piazza

When Bernini began designing the piazza, he was immediately faced with a number of problems. First, there were a handful of existing structures, including an obelisk and a fountain, already in the piazza. Additionally, the disproportioned façade was awkward and presented a challenge to incorporate. Bernini envisioned the metaphor of a human body to describe the area around St. Peter's; the basilica was the head and the colonnaded piazza was to act as the motherly arms of the Church, reaching out and embracing all pilgrims. Bernini's goal was to join the Church and other structures together in a rational manner. His solution was a giant oval enclosure with its transversal axis parallel to church façade, formed by large, simple Doric columns that are four rows deep.

During the Renaissance, the circle was the preferred shape because it was ideal in form and completeness. It was the essence of purity and divine perfection. . The oval design was somewhat controversial at the time. Several decades before Bernini started working on the piazza in 1609, Kepler published his first law of planetary motion, which stated that the earth orbited the sun in an elliptical shape. At the time, the Church was opposed to this viewpoint and it is ironic that Bernini incororated this shape into the design of the most important religious piazza in existence. Over time, the oval became the preferred shape because of its implied movement and energy.

As a visitor entering the piazza, one will notice that the columns get closer to one another as you approach the façade. From the viewpoint of either of the two centers of the ellipse, the columns perfectly align and appear as only a single row.

Looking around the piazza, the visitor will undoubtedly see Alexander VII's name or coat of arms throughout. On top of the colonnade there are 140 statues of various saints. The statues are double size and were carved in Bernini's studio.

There is a trapezoidal area attached to the base of the oval that is formed by corridors that widen out towards the façade. This technique modified the awkward appearance of the façade. The basilica is brought forward to the viewer and the height of the façade is stressed at the expense of its width. The plan resulted largely because of the constraints of the site and is a magnificent tribute to Bernini's genius.

Bernini also had plans to create a gate at the entrance to the piazza. This grand entrance would be the first thing pilgrims would see after venturing though the Borgia, the neighborhood surrounding the Vatican. There were tall buildings and narrow, dark streets. Even though Bernini's plan for a gate was never realized, pilgrims still see a grand scene when they enter the piazza. The area to the sky opens up and the visitor is greeted by an obelisk pointing up to the heavens.

Since Bernini's completion of the square, a number of improvements and additions have been added by Popes over the years. In 1675, Pope Clement X commissioned Carlo Fontana, the nephew of Carlo Maderno, to build another fountain on the opposite side of the obelisk, with the goal of creating a sense of symmetry. The two fountains framed the façade of the basilica. The piazza was not paved until 1724 when Pope Benedict XIII commissioned Pietro Francesco Orsini for the job. In 1817, sundial markers were added by the obelisk. Each of these markers is inscribed with a date and on the inscribed date, the shadow of the obelisk will reach the marker at exactly noon. In 1937, Mussolini completed the Via della Conciliazione for a new approach to the piazza to commemorate the conclusion of the Lateran Pact, a treaty of conciliation between Church and State.

The Piazza San Pietro has a long history of evolution over time and holds a special significance to Christians. Constantine turned this space into a public gathering area. Over the years, several Popes have made additions to the piazza, all leaving their mark. The most significant development came from Alexander VII and Bernini. Together, these two defined what the space is today. But even after Bernini's colonnade, the space has continued to be modified. The piazza will continue to evolve and grow to meet the needs of Christianity as time marches on.

Sources

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