The Vatican

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Vatican Photos

The Vatican is the center of the Roman Catholic church. It is in fact a city and country (Vatican City) which is completely surrounded by the city of Rome. It houses the Pope, and is where the Catholic Church is run from. During the renaissance, artists such as Michaelangelo and Raphael (Who is buried in the Pantheon in Rome)flocked to the city to lend their hand in the decoration of this worldly structure. (O.K. the church paying a lot of money I am sure had something to do with things) . These artists built the inspiring St. Peters, with the largest dome in Christianity, painted the Sistine Chapel and provided numerous works of arts for St. Peters. Another note, I believe it was Luther, who when questioning the Catholic Church, wondered if he should just kiss one of the steps up to St. Peters to show his piety or every step. (This was to show his indignation towards the church.)
St. Peters, is the largest church in the Catholic church and I believe all of Christianity. Its dome I am told is the largest in Europe, inspired by the dome in Florence. Various people worked on it. This was Michaelangelo's last great work. He died during the construction but led to a lot of the design. The final architect was Carlo Maderno. Built to house the bones of St. Peter, (hence the name) it also houses the bones of some of the more influential Popes. It is the centerpiece of the Vatican and Vatican city with a truly grand interior. I urge you to go on to the next page to see more.

On the inside there is really beautiful artwork. Especially the Murals, I suggest you click on the pictures to view the larger versions to get a clear picture of their detail

I hope you enjoy the photos. Any comments, please E-mail me, .

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St. Peters	Side Dome
Rome, Viewed from atop the Dome	A Cardinal? (More likely a bishop) passing the Swiss Guards
A Garden	Arch ways
Vatican City The Pope's House?	The Symbol of the Pope
Baptistery Chapel	Swiss Guard
The "Confession"	Side Altar
The Dome	Chapel in the Crypt
The Dome, closeup	Side Altar
More Murals Below the Dome	Memorial
Murals Below The Dome	The Portico (atrium)
Side Dome	Statue
Mural	A Sainted Pope's Grave
The Nave Said to be the largest in the world. The floor is marked where other churches would stand in it.