Dome of St Peter's Basilica
Dublin Core
Title
Dome of St Peter's Basilica
Description
After Rome was sacked in 846, the old St Peter’s was continuously refurbished and repaired. Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455) began the first new construction. Nicholas V worked with architect Alberti, who wanted to remake the city with St. Peter’s as its center. The duo dedicated themselves to the site, but no dome was constructed [1]. A half century later, Pope Julius II and the architect Bramante paired up, and Bramante designed an intricate church exhibiting symmetry and a beautiful dome. Bramante died in 1514 and still nothing had been concretely built in regards to the dome [1]. In the mid-sixteenth century, Michelangelo began working on designs for the dome, under Paul III. He simplified the cross designs of Sangallo and Bramante before him. Michelangelo worked on St. Peter’s, particularly the southern facade, but he died in 1564 before any dome was completed.
Despite all of the progress through the papacies of Nicholas V and Paul III, St. Peter’s remained virtually unchanged until the papacy of Pope Sixtus V.
Sixtus V wanted to further establish St. Peter’s as a hub of Rome, and described the church, which had been without a dome for over twenty years, as resemblant of a “body without a head” [1]. When Pope Sixtus V brought the project into action in 1585, he considered different designs for the dome. Sixtus V approved Giacomo della Porta’s design in 1586, and assigned Domenico Fontana, recently coming off his successful relocation of the obelisk to St. Peter’s, to help him with the task [1].
Della Porta built upon Michelangelo’s design by elongating the dome and giving it a dynamic rising movement that is linked to the Baroque [1]. Construction began in 1588 and the dome required over six hundred workers, and was completed just before Sixtus V passed away [1].
It has the inscription "S. PETRI GLORIAE SIXTUS PP. V.A. MDXC PONTIF. V., or for the glory of Saint Peter, Pope Sixtus the fifth 1590, the fifth year of his pontificate" [2]. The dome was completed the year of Sixtus V's death.
The completion of the dome of St. Peter’s is another mark on Pope Sixtus V’s legacy [3]. This is one of the many projects that popes before him attempted but failed to finalize, reflecting Sixtus V’s impressive initiative.
Despite all of the progress through the papacies of Nicholas V and Paul III, St. Peter’s remained virtually unchanged until the papacy of Pope Sixtus V.
Sixtus V wanted to further establish St. Peter’s as a hub of Rome, and described the church, which had been without a dome for over twenty years, as resemblant of a “body without a head” [1]. When Pope Sixtus V brought the project into action in 1585, he considered different designs for the dome. Sixtus V approved Giacomo della Porta’s design in 1586, and assigned Domenico Fontana, recently coming off his successful relocation of the obelisk to St. Peter’s, to help him with the task [1].
Della Porta built upon Michelangelo’s design by elongating the dome and giving it a dynamic rising movement that is linked to the Baroque [1]. Construction began in 1588 and the dome required over six hundred workers, and was completed just before Sixtus V passed away [1].
It has the inscription "S. PETRI GLORIAE SIXTUS PP. V.A. MDXC PONTIF. V., or for the glory of Saint Peter, Pope Sixtus the fifth 1590, the fifth year of his pontificate" [2]. The dome was completed the year of Sixtus V's death.
The completion of the dome of St. Peter’s is another mark on Pope Sixtus V’s legacy [3]. This is one of the many projects that popes before him attempted but failed to finalize, reflecting Sixtus V’s impressive initiative.
Creator
Giacomo Della Porta and Domenico Fontana
Source
Sources:
[1] Boorsch, Suzanne. “The Building of the Vatican: The Papacy and Architecture.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 40, no. 3 (1982): 4–64. https://doi.org/10.2307/3258914.
[2] Ryan, Shirley, Melinda Gades, Melinda, April Flowers, Ruth, Jason P, Paula Bawiec, et al. “St Peters Dome - St Peters Basilica Dome.” Dara McCarthy, January 11, 2021. https://www.daramccarthy.com/st-peters-dome/.
[3] Long, Pamela O. Engineering the Eternal City: Infrastructure, Topography, and the Culture of Knowledge in Late Sixteenth-Century Rome. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018.
[1] Boorsch, Suzanne. “The Building of the Vatican: The Papacy and Architecture.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 40, no. 3 (1982): 4–64. https://doi.org/10.2307/3258914.
[2] Ryan, Shirley, Melinda Gades, Melinda, April Flowers, Ruth, Jason P, Paula Bawiec, et al. “St Peters Dome - St Peters Basilica Dome.” Dara McCarthy, January 11, 2021. https://www.daramccarthy.com/st-peters-dome/.
[3] Long, Pamela O. Engineering the Eternal City: Infrastructure, Topography, and the Culture of Knowledge in Late Sixteenth-Century Rome. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018.
Publisher
Pope Sixtus V
Date
1585-1590
Contributor
Cameron DeChurch
Rights
This is a structure that anyone can view.
Format
The dome has a height of 390 feet on the interior and 435 feet on the exterior and a diameter of 138 feet.
Type
Dome
Coverage
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Files
Collection
Citation
Giacomo Della Porta and Domenico Fontana, “Dome of St Peter's Basilica,” ARTHIST 256 - Italian Baroque Art - Fall 2021, accessed October 22, 2026, https://baroque.dahvc.org/fall-2021/items/show/296.