The monumental dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica

There’s a small keyhole in a green door on Aventine hill. The property belongs to the Knights of Malta (passed down from the Knights of Templar from the Middle Ages, but that’s a whole other story). If you look through this tiny opening, less than an inch in diameter, there’s a peculiar view. Is it intentional or coincidence? We do not know. But what you see is quite clear. There is a direct line of sight to the Vatican: a perfectly framed view of the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica.

I did not see this particular view while in Rome. But to see this enormous dome through a miniature window would be quite a neat trick.

The dome, inspired by the Pantheon, is huge. The diameter may be a little smaller (138 feet compared to the Pantheon’s 142 feet) but it stands much much taller: 441 feet high. Stepping inside the Basilica, the sheer size is impressive. It’s almost hard to grasp how big everything is. There are some “tricks” that play with the perspective. For example, the latin inscriptions along the base of the dome is in lettering 7 feet tall. Statues of Saints and Popes placed higher up are a few feet taller than those on the ground level (which are already 15 feet tall). Everything is on such a grand scale. One comparison I read is that the dome is big enough to house the Statue of Liberty. 

It took 120 years to build the Basilica. Several architects worked on the design, but the dome is credited to Michelangelo. When the Basilica was finished in 1626 it was the tallest building in Rome. Four hundred years later, it still is. This is not by chance. On a walking tour of Rome, our guide told us there’s a rule that no building in Rome can be taller than Saint Peter’s dome.

I came to appreciate this as we toured Rome. The dome was often part of the scene, jutting up above the other buildings. Whether we were crossing over the Tiber River, lunching on a terrace above the Capitoline museums, or touring ancient ruins on Palantine hill, there it was.

Dominating the skyline of Rome.