Piazza San Pietro

Private Tours of the Vatican Museums

Piazza San Pietro

---

The Piazza San Pietro, which was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII (r. 1655-67), is one of the most beautiful spaces in Rome. It was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) and built between 1656 and 1667. 

The piazza is made up of two distinct parts. The first part is an oval space (196 m by 148 m), which is bordered by two semi-circular colonnades, made up of a total of 284 columns. The second part, intended to link the basilica to the oval, is a trapezium flanked by two arms.

The 140 statues of saints and martyrs, which crown the colonnades, were sculpted to Bernini’s designs by his large team of assistants.

---

Aerial view of St Peter's Basilica and St Peter's Square

Aerial view of St Peter's Basilica and St Peter's Square

Colonnade of St Peter's Square

Statues on the south colonnade

Coat of arms of Pope Alexander VIl