Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 40: Basilica di San Pietro, Piazza San Pietro

The present day basilica was built on the site of the original basilica, which was built on the site of the Circus of Nero (previously the Circus of Caligula, built by the family of his mother Agrippina the Elder). That first basilica was built in the forth century, started by Constantine the Great. It took 40 years to build, and grew both in size and in power over the next 1200 years.

Time and the Avignon papacy saw the original basilica fall into disrepair. Nicholas V started a reconstruction program (one of his sources for building material was the Colosseum, which he ordered to be demolished). When Julius II took over as pope he made the decision to raze the existing building and construct an all-new basilica.  Coincidentally, Julius had also commissioned Michelangelo to design his tomb, which would sit in the new basilica.

Construction of the new basilica would take three times as long as that of the original, and covered the reigns of 21 popes. The financing of the building was partially done by selling indulgences, which means that the creation of the world's best-known Catholic church helped spur the Protestant Reformation. 

A number of different architects worked on the building, and some of the plans submitted for the original design competition can still be seen at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Among the notable names who helped design the basilica are Donato Bramante (who won the original competition) Raphael, and Michelangelo. Bernini designed towers for the building that were eventually demolished, but put his stamp on the interior, most notably the baldacchino, a monumental canopy that may be the largest piece of bronze in the world.

Over the ensuing 400 years, St. Peter's has become synonymous with the Vatican and the pope, both through his celebration of Mass during holiday seasons and for his audiences outside in the piazza. 

There you have it, another Lentorama in the books. See you next year.

Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 39: Cappella Sistina

The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who ordered its construction in the 15th century. It replaced the Cappella Maggiore, the larger of two chapels used for services and meetings of the papal court. 

The present chapel serves more or less the same purpose as the one it replaced. It is where the group known as the Papal Chapel - a subset of what's now known as the Papal Household, largely made up of Vatican officials - has mass and other events when it meets in full. 

As far as events go, it's best known as the site of papal conclaves, holding its first one in 1492 (whose allegations of dark money make it feel almost modern). The only modification to the chapel for the election is the installation of the stove and chimney used to signal if a vote has or has not resulted in a new pope).

(Unrelated to the building, I love that Wikipedia has an entry for seagulls at papal events)

But what the building is best known for is its art, most notably the frescoes by Michelangelo. He painted the ceiling primarily with stories from Genesis, with the Creation of Adam the central work (this is the one where Adam and God  are reaching out and touching fingertips). On the wall behind the altar he painted The Last Judgement, showing Jesus at the second coming and the ultimate fate of the judged. 

The chapel also has works by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, and others. Raphael created ten tapestries to hang on the chapel walls, but the original set was looted during the 1527 sack of Rome. It took until the late 20th century for a new complete set to be assembled from extra tapestries made after the original versions, and while they are displayed occasionally they do not hang in the chapel regularly.

I've had the good fortune to visit the chapel, and frankly the art is overwhelming. It's amazing, but it's a lot to take in. 

  Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 38 - Apostolic Palace

Once again the home of the pope, the Apostolic Palace is actually a collection of buildings, some of which we've already discussed (like the Vatican Museums). There's been a papal palace going back to the fifth century and Pope Symmachus, who built a palace close to old St. Peter's (prior to that popes lived in the Lateran Palace).

After the Avignon papacy the papal palace had fallen into disrepair, and the Lateran Palace had suffered two significant fires. In 1447 Nicholas V knocked down the old palace (built by Eugene III in the 12th century) and started construction on the current one, though the palace as we'd recognize it today was mostly shaped by Sixtus V (with the building sometimes referred to formally as the Palace of Sixtus V).

The palace complex has a number of notable artistic areas, including:

* The Borgia Apartments, a suite of rooms created and designed for Alexander VI, one of the Borgia popes. 

* The Raphael Rooms, originally intended as an apartment for Julius II, decorated with a number of frescoes by Raphael and his team.

* Clementine Hall, built by Clement VIII to honor Clement I, also notably decorated with frescoes

* The current papal apartments, located on the top floor of the palace, home to all popes (save Francis) since 1870

* The Sistine Chapel... which I'll talk about tomorrow.

 Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 37 - Apostolic Vatican Archive bunker, Cortile della Pigna

The Apostolic Vatican Archive (once known as the Secret Archive) is located off of the Cortile del Belvedere, next to the Vatican Library. In operation since 1612, the archive holds many of the documents related to the various popes and official acts of the Holy See.

As you can imagine, the collection built up over time. More space was needed to hold the archive, ideally space that met modern archival standards rather than something built in the 17th century. To that end Paul VI ordered the construction of two vaults to hold archived material, which were inaugurated by John Paul II in 1980.

As you might have guessed from the word 'bunker,' this is one building that you are not going to see in the Vatican skyline. Instead, it is located below the courtyard between the Vatican Museums and the library, named for the second century AD bronze pine cone that stands in it. The bunker has a volume of over a million cubic feet, and has (if I did the conversion right) over 26 linear miles of shelf space (the website says 43,000 meters if you want to do the math).

Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 36: Leonine Wall

In 846, Arab raiders in Rome sacked the original St. Peter's Basilica. It, like much of the territory that today makes up the Vatican city state, was outside of Rome's protective walls.

In order to prevent any future sacking, Leo IV decided to enclose St. Peter's and the surrounding area in its own wall, which he built between 848 and 852 (Leo III had previously started a wall, but it faced several delays and was largely dismantled by locals who wanted to use the stone for their own buildings).

Today, there are still bits of the wall standing, most notably in the Vatican gardens by the Vatican Radio transmitter. These parts of the wall are anchored on the Torre San Giovanni, which as previously noted was added later to bulk up Vatican defenses.

  Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani 

Day 35: Sacristy, St. Peter's Basilica

Like I said, more on this, but not much more.

The current sacristy was the idea of Pope Pius VI, who laid its cornerstone in 1776, and saw it inaugurated in 1784. It stands on the place of the old sacristy, though some additional buildings were demolished so architect Carlo Marchionni could build the new one at an appropriately monumental scale.

The sacristy is connected to the basilica by two covered walkways, one enters into a side chapel while the other is near the tomb of Pius VIII. 

  Lentorama 2026: Hic es: aedificia Vaticani

Day 34: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cortile Belvedere

The origins of the Apostolic Library go back to the 4th century, when there is documentary evidence of  a combined library and archive. But there wasn't a specific, permanent collection until the 15th century, when Pope Nicholas V made the decision to create a formal library and Sixtus IV saw the plan through. Starting with a collection of 1200 manuscripts in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, the collection would grow over time, with a collection today of over 1.1 million books and 75,000 codices.

The library is still located in its original building, which is now considered part of the Apostolic Palace complex. Its most notable contribution to Vatican architecture was its bisecting of the Belvedere Courtyard, created by Donato Bramante in the early 16th century. The courtyard was originally intended as one long enclosed space running from the Apostolic Palace to the Villa Belvedere. But a new wing for the library ordered by Sixtus V saw the courtyard cut into two pieces (now three, with the Pigna Courtyard, a small library courtyard, and the remaining Belvedere Courtyard).

While I feel bad for Bramante that his original vision was permanently altered, he at least didn't live to see it happen. It also could be worse; he could have lived to see that, today, his courtyard is used as a parking lot.