The Hidden History of St Peter's Basilica
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- St. Peter’s Basilica was built on the remains of early Christianity’s greatest church, and with materials taken from dozens of Roman ruins. This hidden history is still visible - if you know where to look.
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:43 The Obelisk and the Circus of Nero
2:52 MyHeritage
4:17 Old St. Peter's
6:09 Construction of the new basilica
8:16 Decoration of the interior
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Have you done a video about Michelangelo
it is very curious all the info that one can find about that obelisk, and yet so little, when nothing at all about the construction of dozens of cathedrals....and starforts..and pyramids and dolmens....
..... hhmmhh ... someone got away with it.....
There's really nothing "hidden" about St Peters
I knew I admired St Peter's Basilica before, but even in the first 40 seconds, the majesty with which you describe it really takes the church a level beyond.
Excellently done.
-Blue
I'm very glad you enjoyed it!
Happy to see you here Blue. You’re amazing.
@@toldinstone Enjoyed it…Too short!
Every time I’m in Rome I visit the Vatican. Although I’m not remotely religious it’s an amazing place . In my youth I lost a flip flop from the top of the dome. I watched it slowly slide down the face of the dome and out of sight……..aha good times. Walked back down barefoot. I still remember the cold marble under my feet.
Nice story! The flip flop was probably made of plastic and still exists somewhere
"In my youth I lost a flip flop from the top of the dome. I watched it slowly slide down the face of the dome and out of sight"
Hah!.
When I was 11, I got lost in the Vatican Museum. Not surprising, the place really is easy to get lost in. Anyways, I walked up to several flavors of authorities, only to find out that they couldn't understand anything I was saying, and I was just wandering around the place when a security worker grabbed me. Turns out, he spoke perfect English, so he helped me out, found the rest of my group, let them know where I am, and offered to catch up with them, giving me a tour of the place in the process (!). We talked along the way too, turned out he was Iranian (!). Fantastic guy, though I wonder how the hell he ended up as a security guard with his language skills and knowledge (the tour he gave me was fantastic, frankly, he was much better than the tour guide!).
*edit - typos, my keyboard is giving up the ghost
I am anti religious and absolutely love going to the Vatican. I went last year and it was completely empty. Such a cool experience
Just goes to show, you don't have to be religious to appreciate history and historical places etc
I remember climbing up the dome on a warm day and seeing people collapsed on the stairs on the way up. They didn’t understand what the 550 steps meant.
This is my new favorite history channel. Love that you treat the subject seriously in your script but still throw little jokes in the subtext. - I definitely heard what you said.
Visited Rome for the first time in the early 2000's When I entered St. Peter's Basilica, I was struck by total awe!. Absolutely breathtaking!.
It`s hard to believe this building is real. It looks so fantastical and awe inspiring, i still get goosebumps just from seeing it on photos. So much detail to get yourelf lost into
True, but there are similar looking buildings in the world and Not all of them are cathedrals
@@aka99 Ugh, no, St.Peter Basilica is the most beautiful, opulence and magnificent building in the world, nothing could compared to it.
@@augustinefaithdefender sistine chapel as direct neighbor to St. Peter Basilica? Museum of Art History in VIenna?
@@aka99 sistine chapel is not that grandeur. Vienna where, not on the same level darling 💁🏻♂️
My daughter was baptized at St Peter’s in 2002 so thanks for making this video. It was nice to see and learn about the baptismal font.
I watched several families have their babies baptized there. What a story to tell the children!
Heck of a place to be baptized!
children shouldn't be baptized.
On a trip with The Order of Malta we attended mass at St Peters. To have the opportunity to attend a mass in such a historic and holy place was a once in a lifetime experience. I could stop looking around and the interior the whole mass! 💕
Could you recommend a video that discusses how the St. Peter’s Bascillia was built? Seems like a phenomenal engineering/architecture challenge.
I think you'll enjoy my next video...
@@toldinstone historydad why must u tease us
@@PurpleDragonSpike bruh hahahahahah
Ild like to know more about Michelangelo’s dome. How did they know how to build the dome if Brunelleschi was secretive on his dome? @toldinstone
Every artist worked on the project said God inspired them to work on the whole new level.
I visited the eternal city in 2016. It was a long-cherished dream come real. I stood before the majestic St.Peter's Basilica spellbound. Its really an angelic work, amazingly wonderful.
Totally agree! AWE INSPIRING! Jaw dropping from the moment you enter. I thought Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral in London blew me away and then I walked into St. Peter's and I just couldn't believe my eyes!
A beautiful building that couldn't/wouldn't be built today. Great video again. To me, it was the pictures that made this video so interesting.
Beautiful!
This episode is one of my favourites. I'd welcome additional episodes about St Peter's.
I kinda wish that modern buildings had this sense of congealing history that ancient buildings had. It feels like so often these days, we go for all or nothing. I'm not a fan.
I like hearing about re-use and historical parts. I think it's really cool.
Exactly. Modern buildings are made to be practical and nothing more. Just giant shoeboxes of concrete and glass.
it would cost more to design and work around a historical part than to demolish and built from scratch. today is where materials are low cost and manpower is high value. it would be a lot cheaper to circumvent regulations, engineers, skilled laborers, and the whole package of inherent difficulty of reusing something old makes it unsuitable for construction
Re-use is a really light word and a really optimistic view of the church's actions tbh, "spoiling" is a better term to use most of the times! In order to cut down cost, they spoiled the remaining marble coverage of the colosseum, stolen the statues there were still there and "re-used" them in order to reinforce the fucking foundations when they couldn't cut them down into blocks and "re-use" them. The same thing happened to a lot of other still standing temples and roman basilicas. I'm totally fine with the concept using marble from ruins or really old structure that they needed get demolished or rebuilt anyway but they didn't do that. Btw I'm from rome.
@@maxis5427 Well, I imagine a Christian emperor wouldn't want pagan statues adorning his church.
It reminds me a bit of statues of confederate leaders here in The States
@@andrewprahst2529 The problem here is that popes in the 1500s were actually in love roman/greek statuary and culture in general. It was the renaissance dude... Look at michelangelo, donatello, rafaello, borromini's masterpieces in florence, il bramante. They were all trying to achieve "the perfection of the classical era". Popes straight up refurbished statues without even changing them and slapped another name on top of them. Idk, what we've here, a statue of Marco antonio rising a horse? Let's say it's CharleMagne, no one will notice (This was actually one of the most clever way to preserve them). What you're saying it makes sense, still, can I just hate hypocrisy of popes for doing this while reading cicerone or the catholic church in general?
Dedicating a whole 10h to the Vatican on my trip to Rome last year was one of my best decisions in life
Seen it once about 35 years ago would love to see it again.
I studied in Rome in 1973. I was no fan of Baroque architecture. I headed off to see St Peters but stopped on the way to visit the Pantheon, whose dome I found, to my suprise, felt oppressive, made me feel small. But when I walked thru the doors of St Peters an hour later, the whole place felt like a magnet drawing me upwards. I almost wanted to dance, it was so beautiful. Massive, but unlike the Pantheon, welcoming, inviting.
Saint Peter's is not baroque though. It's rinascimental and manneristic
@@antoniousai1989portions of St Peters are Baroque, specially the additions and revisions made by Bernini in the wake of the Council of Trent.
"rinascimento" is not used in English. Only Italian
But yes, Michaelangelo's St Peters is a high Renalssance building with some mannerist elements on the exterior. But you can't see it without going through a lot of Bernini first.
No idea how anyone could find the Pantheon oppressive. But okay ...
It is true that Roman architecture is interested to make individuals feel small, I suppose. But why should that be oppressive?
Your response is unusual, but that's interesting in itself.
One of the few channels that I’ll watch the ad out of respect. Always a joy to watch one of ToldinStone’s videos!
Excellent video, Garrett! I have seen some of this history here or there, but not all together like you have done so smartly.
I was at the awesome St Peter’s basilica few days ago for 2 days! Words cannot describe my feelings!
Still the most incredible building I'm ever likely to step into. Everyone should see this wonder of the world, at least once. It is awe inspiring and Bernini's work is a zenith of human achievement.
Yes but there are buildings which look similar and not are only cathedrals.
The one in malta is huge and nice. A lot of the ones in Spain look great too
The little sayings under the pics of the popes made me chuckle. I could use a nap too!
A Marble skull of the hand of Bernini crafted for pope Alexander the VII himself was recently rediscovered in the archive of Dresdens old masters gallery. It looked identical to an original skull, so the curators almost overlooked the baroque skulpture. The object is currently on Display in said Gallery.
Also they quarried the beautiful polished marble and stone interior from the Colosseum, for the steps of the new St Peters.
The ultimate act of oxymoron vandalism, wrecking genuine classical architecture, to build imitation classical architecture.
And it meant the Colosseum could never be used as a stadium again. If only somebody had invented football/soccer sooner.
LONG LIVE CATHOLICISM! JESUS CHRIST WILL PUT HIS ENEMIES AT HIS FEET!
the colosseum was mostly "wrecked" by a series of earthquakes
To be fair plundering ancient architecture or artifacts for resources or decoration for newer structures was also happening in antiquity. One example of it even was mentioned in the video, with the obelisk in St. Peter's square. The city of Rome today has more ancient Egyptian obelisks standing in it than the modern country of Egypt, all relocated there by various Roman emperors.
Plundering the old to build the new was very common even in the Republican and Imperial period. In fact it was the rule with most ancient societies, where the new leaders would loot the achievements of the previous ones to build his own.
The concept of conservation and protection of the artistic and architectural heritage, is relatively recent, in historical terms.
That does not fit the definition of vandalism.
Been there first in 1977 as a fresh refugee from Eastern Europe..... I was amazed.......
To see St. Peter’s in person is just incredible.
Thank you toldinstone. This sooths my mind and helps in keeping my sanity.
You are so correct that the Vatican is breath taking, it is the most magnificent building I have ever seen.
Man Iv'e been waiting for this one. Great job sir.
I always wondered if there was something beyond the eye, then you proved otherwise which made me appreciate the St. Peter's Basilica even more.
This is the good stuff!
6:12 I died 😂
I love history related to biblical subjects. This was great!
I visited it once.
It's mind-blowing in its sheer scale.
Everything about it is absolutely fantastic.
Wonderfully done!
This is the best! Thanks a lot!
Would you ever consider talking about Greek and Roman funeral practices?
No way
This channel really deserves far more subscribers.
We recently went to Rome and toured around Vatican City. The Basilica is an awe-inspiring piece of historic and religious monument ever made. We were just spellbound to see the majestic architecture and art that this place adorns with. Quite a mystery how this was even built so intricately and with finesse in 16-17th Century with no modern tools or equipments.
I like your voice and calm demeanor. You’re an excellent storyteller.
I went there last month. It is simply awe inspiring. The cavernous size of the interior can’t be appreciated until you step in. 700feet (200m) long and similarly high at the dome.
Visited Rome and the Basilica for the 4th time on 17th August 2022. I recall standing in St. Peter's Square for the first time in March 2001 - I was in awe and could not move as I was struck by the majesty of this magnificent structure. Spent a whole day there - it was an awesome experience. Thank you for your video.
Hello beautiful Janet and how are you doing today?
what a wonderful video, thank you!
Thanks for talking about the baptismal font because my daughter was baptized their in 2002.
Thank you. This was fascinating and I hardly knew any of it beyond the fact that there had been am earlier basilica.
I absolutely adore your channel. Keep the wonderful work up!
Wonderful. Quite the best thing I've seen on TH-cam this year! Congratulations! Keep it up!
Even the photos look unbelievable… This place literally is what hundreds of years of artistic design bring to reality
Brilliant!
Wonder what Nero would have thought if he saw how the poor and old man named Peter that he horribly murdered became one of the most important persons in Ancient History (until the point of having uncountable honors and monuments to him around the entire world) and also how christianity turned into the last remaining institution of the Roman Empire and now its dominion reaches every civilization, not mentioning the fact he and the pagan gods of Rome fell into oblivion and infamy thousands of years ago
Not to mention his palace being literally covered over by the emperors that came after him
@@xXSprMgaAwsmFxyHtXx I think the fact someone who wasn't a Julio-Claudian became Emperor was more than enough for him
Well the pagan gods of the Roman’s are still known,well known at that. Matter of fact the planets are named after them.
@@xXSprMgaAwsmFxyHtXx There are still parts of Nero's house standing, you can visit it. That can't be said of anything of anybody in the bible, except some remains of buildings by King Herod
That if really peter died there and that was his tomb
Amazing video! I have studied renaissance art history off and on for years and you surprised me with some your great tidbits.
Great video!
One funny detailed you missed in the story of when they moved the obelisk is that the when they started to raise the obelisk, the ropes were so strained as they started to burn. A man then, despite the risk of death, shouted to them to throw water on the ropes. They did, the ropes were saved and the obelisk rose.
The man espaced death. :)
Just returned from my second visit to Rome and first to the basilica. It impressed me for its size and engineering. Less so for its decor. There are prettier churches in Europe and indeed in Italy itself. The most impressive was the huge columns that support the roof and dome which provide for an amazing amount of cubic space in the central nave and cross naves as well.
You make me want to go back and spend some more hours walking this and other churches. Rome sweet Rome!
Thanks!
That's very generous - thank you!
Dr Ryan, just a point of information. Constantine did not begin St Peter's after he converted. That would have been difficult since he didn't convert until he was on his deathbed. He did, however, begin it after legalising Christianity in the Empire.
Hi, the traditional date of his conversion is 312, although he began raising his sons as Christians possibly as early as 309 with the eldest, Crispus. By the time he became sole emperor in 325, he had fully "come out of the closet."
you have to be misreading something. it is widely known that constantine converted before he legalized christianity, and was never baptized. the controversy is a claim that he was baptized at his deathbed, which doesn't mean he is not christian as many early patriarchs werent baptized as well.
He was baptized on his deathbed. This was common practice because it was believed that Baptism removed every trace of sin. Thus if you were baptized just before dying, you would go straight to Heaven.
@@John_Fugazzi baptized as an Arian if I remember correctly
@@overdose8329 Every baptism invoking the Trinity is valid it doesn't matter if the biaptizer was Lutheran or Arian
Hello from Nashville, Tennessee. Can you leave a link to your book so that I may purchase it, please?
Jordan Maxwell has great videos on the symbols and symbolism at St. Peters
6:17 _"Oh cra---"_
7:15 Ouch dude. Just....ouch.
I Would make that Structure into A Library of Knowledge for All, perhaps in the Next Earth..very inspirational place to Learn.
Easily one of the best videos you’ve put together. Thank you for all the effort you put into them.
Gotta love a good mashup.
Fascinating!
That Obelisk has a twin in Constantinople erected by Theodosius I, who was the last emperor of the unified empire before it was split, nowadays under occupation by ottoman barbarians. One of them unsuccessfully tried to blow it up in 2016. These Obelisks have been commissioned around 1450 BC by Thutmosis III. who is called the Napoleon of ancient Egypt by some.
The obelisks are pagan sungods.
An abomination in Gods sight.
I bet the Romans had an easier time moving the obelisk than the Renaissance peoples did
I really doubt it. Contrary to what is commonly believed, the Middle Ages were more technically advanced than the Romans. Just look at the cathedrals. If they were able to build the cathedral of Reims, they would be able to move an obelisk.
@@Xerxes2005 Maybe but those churches were built for hundreds of years and without as much pay for the workers as it was "god's work" and they found it ok to squander resources since plumbing and libraries and so on weren't a concern anymore.Romans built their gargantuan stuff often in less than a decade and with fair wages, though with some slaves as well.They never wanted to create ultra detailed and money wasting luxurious stuff like the "great"(many of them aren't structurally sound and keep needing repairs every few years)which totally contradict the "hate riches and live modestly"ideas of Christianity anyway
@@Xerxes2005 and even still, concrete was lost and only 1200 years later could Christians create a bigger dome than the Pantheon
@@sskspartan So much anti-christian platitudes and fallacies... The fact remains that they were able to build these cathedrals, to move the stones, to rise them up, etc. So they were more than able to move and rise that obelisk. A bigger dome than the Pantheon? You mean like St. Peter's?
@@Xerxes2005 Romans took much less time to build structures of comparable size. Even Saint Peter’s, built in Renaissance with more advanced engineering, is comparable to Roman baths. Don’t get me wrong, the architecture of gothic cathedrals is fantastic in concept, but in engineering terms they don’t hold a candle to Romans.
6:10 nice captions xD
Is the little details that matter
You are quickly becoming one of my go-to’s for ancient history! Great work!
Amazing…I was there in 2019…and it was overwhelming, and marvellous to behold..goosebumps, almost crying..so fantastic, I so need to go again
Hi garrett! i devour these videos, they are just spectacular. Could you please do a video on how seriously everyday romans took religion? We all know the role they played in politics but i'd be interested to know how big of a part the gods played in everyday life. Did people live under the constant fear/respect of the gods like christians later did? Also a video on the roman kings please!! Thanks!
The way its described, one would think that the whole of St. Peter's was made from looting ruins. While it does take some marble from the Colosseum, copper from the Pantheon, and some bits and pieces from ancient mansions, most of the materials used to build the basilica were original and not "recycled" from anywhere else.
If you are going to visit the Basilica, remember it is open at 7 am on Sundays. I visited during a weekday with my family but couldnt handle the lines. I waited until Sunday, got up early and strolled through security and had the whole area to myself and a fozen others. No crowds, no lines, "front row" views... I highly recommend doing so.
Great. Now I have to go back to Rome so I can see it all again. Love your videos. I appreciate what you do here.
I visited the St. Peter's Basilica this summer and words and pictures cannot describe this building. I was aware that it was amazing, not just as a building but as an artpiece. But this is the definition of amazing. You cant get a grasp of the sheer scale and beauty of the thing without seeing it with your own eyes. And it became very obvious why people would spend decades waging war to seperate from the catholic curch.
Wow nice place
Another interesting one. Thanks once again.
I, too, sometimes wear stylish blue pants!
Superb as always.
Thank you.
There is a reason that the grave of only one of the Twelve was so remembered and honored throughout the centuries....
THANK YOU, GOD BLESS YOU! RECYCLING HAS BEEN A COMMON SENSE EVER SINCE! GLORY ALELUAH!
A fantastic building. If only the Hagia Sophia had survived, un-desecrated.
It wasn't. It's just a building. They are just buildings. Religious nonsense doesn't affect physical buildings. Get a grip.
@RichO1701e the Muslims ruined all the beautiful art that decorated the interior
Love your videos
may i ask what the name of the old St. Peter's Basilica painting at 5:15? it's truly breathtaking
Go to the Liturgical Arts Journal April 22, 2020. Search its website. What Sits Underneath St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
I don't know the name of it, though.
Cheers
Thank you for all the info. Ill be in rome later this year and cant wait to revisit sites with so much new information. I have a question : the artwork at 5:13 could you tell me where i can find this / download this?
Liturgical Arts Journal April 22, 2020 Search its website. What Sits Underneath St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
@@JohnnyAngel8 Got it! Thank you for your help 😊
The Basilica is amazing but I find La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona to be much more awe inspiring.
I found it to be over the top. A little more simplicity would have served it well.
Do you happen to have a recommendation for any Vatican necropolis tours?
If the carpenter from Galilee could see this he would be disgusted.
why?
Peter's crucifixion was brilliantly and terrifyingly portrayed in Anthony Burgess's novel "The Kingdom of the Wicked." In that book, an elderly Peter decides to turn himself in to the authorities, since he cannot bear the fact that an old man like him is still alive while thousands of young Christians are being executed by Nero. The next time we see Peter, he is already dead and crucified upside down in the stadium, while, around him, children dressed as sheep are slaughtered by dogs in front of a horrified audience and the laughter of Nero and Tigellinus.
Thanks for the book suggestion!
So Christian fiction? Neat
And it was in Nero's circus on the Vatican...the mental click as it all snapped into place was audible. I need to read that book.
@@douglasdaniel4504 You should definitely read it. The book masterfully portrays the birth of christianity from Jesus' resurrection to the destruction of Pompeii in a very nihilistic and depressing tone. You should also watch its 1985 mini-series adaptation "A.D.", starred by amazing actors and actress like Susan Sarandon, Ian McShane, James Mason, Fernando Rey and Ava Gardner
It’s a beautiful basilica but I was told to divorce the Catholics because of what they did to me earlier on. Think robbery, break and enter, no income despite spending my whole life working. In April 2005, when I was in Rome, I was eating a piccolo chocolato gelato (my first and last), when all of a sudden I looked up and saw that John Paul the Second had passed and there had been a service out the front of St Peter’s. I rushed around there to pay my respects but most people had left; however, the international news crew remained. There were vans and satellite dishes everywhere. I noted a few wilted flowers around the obelisk and thought what a sad day. At some point perhaps during an earlier trip, I went inside St Peter’s and was staggered by the unnecessary opulence and beauty of that space. This was about nineteen years after I had first seen it. I wonder what my deceased husband would have thought of all of this? I’ll tell you: Only fools rush in.
i wish i knew this history before i went there, it would’ve been so much cooler knowing the context
This is a re-release, no? I swear I saw this before
Yes, I made a video with the same title two years ago. The old version is now called "A Historical Walking Tour of St. Peter's Basilica."
Just wanted to say that the algorithm seems to hate this channel - I've been subscribed for some time and enabled all notifications, but still haven't got any. If I weren't regularly checking your channel for updates, I wouldn't know you're putting out videos.
I found this video in my recommended page.
Never seen this channel before.
Hmmm Strange but this explains a lot!
@@flouserschird Mysterious are the ways of the machine...
Good.
Been there, and the sculptures were remarkable. However I could not get passed the guilt I felt when I see what they did with the money they forced from its people for so long. I think that's why the living one stated "no images". The Roman empire just crossed the street and used another name.
so far there have been no more Sixtus' (Sixtae?), a thought that was started by the mention of
Sixtus the Fifth...there was just something about the way that sounds
And to think they paid for that by telling the poor the more money you give the less likely you will end up in hell and the more sins forgiven,.
Saint Peter's dome Is taller then the US Capitol itself and It was built in the 16th century. But for americans italians are only pizza makers, ice creams Sellers and Cavemen.
I grüß Most americans will Never See the Beauty of St.peters cathedral by their own eyes live
@@aka99 what Is "l grüss".🤔
@@user-wp4oh3zn5e sorry, my mobile phone did the T9 thing, i meant "I guess"
@@aka99 ah, ok. Mine the same, i want to write in english and It changes in italian. Best greetings.
Most of the marble is spolia from ancient roman temples, basilicas, mausoleums, baths, and palaces but unidentifiable/undocumented which places they came from apart from the notable items mentioned in this video. Most was reworked, some, including marble fascias and flooring is almost the same as they were used on the roman buildings... And to think it took many Popes and centuries to build St Peters what ancient Romans would have completed in the lifetime of an emperor... multiple times over.
I wish I could visit it.
Is it true that, instead they hold/berried Alexander’s the Great tomb as in place for St. Peter tomb?
Magnificent