1835 print ST. PETER'S BASILICA, ROME, ITALY (37)

Italie_46 1835 print ST. PETER’S BASILICA, ROME, ITALY (37) Print from steel engraving titled St. Pierre , published in a volume of L’Univers Pittoresque , Paris, approx. image size 8 x 12 cm, nice hand coloring. Click image or here to view larger version St. Peter’s Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), officially known in Italian as the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St. Peter’s Basilica, is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter’s Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is the symbolic “Mother church” of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as “holding a unique position in the Christian world” and as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom”. In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter’s tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter’s since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626. St. Peter’s is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. Contrary to popular misconception, Saint Peter’s is not a cathedral, as it is not the seat of a bishop. It is properly termed a papal basilica. Like all of the earliest churches in Rome, it has the entrance to the east and the apse at the west end of the building. Please e-mail me if you have any questions. Buyer pays shipping at cost. I prefer payment by PayPal, but I’ll also accept any other payment method and currency (except direct payment by credit card) that is convenient for buyer. I combine shipping of multiple items. IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SHIPPING: Price quoted with auction is for surface mail, which is the same regardless of destination. When auction ends I can give you option of airmail and insurance if you want. If shipping address is within Europe I recommend surface mail, you don’t gain much time with airmail, it is just more expensive.