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| The Pieta, Michelangelo's Masterpiece |
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| Saint Peter in place of honour inside the Basilica of St. Peter |
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| Altar Piece in St Peter - note relative size of priest at bottom right |
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| Detail where several arches join together in the lofty St Peter ceiling |
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| Mosaic detail on one of the altars in St Peter Basilica |
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| Relief detail in one of the altars |
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| Side 'chapel' dome |
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| Detail of Ceiling in Main part of Basilika |
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| Immense Interior space dwarfing people |
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| Magnificient detail on arches and domes |
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| The eye to heaven - one of the side domes |
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| Gold and more Gold framing grand paintings |
Everyone has seen TV coverage of Papal speeches from the balcony of St. Peter's, everyone has seen snippets of video of it's vast splendid interior, everyone has seen photos of the grandiose circular piazza surrounded by hundreds of giant columns and hundreds of gigantic sculptures of saints, angels and clergy, everyone has seen the fountains and the centre obelisc....and still, when first confronted with St Peter's it almost feels like a shock. Not only is it overpowering in size and grandeur, but it is so beautiful in overall artistry and design and painstaking detail that it defies description.
So instead of showing the usual panoramic photos of the largest and greatest sanctum of Christendom, here is just a tiny selection of a miniscule sample of details.
The Sistine Chapel was closed today,being an 'audience' day, which means St Peter's Square is filled with thousands of collapsible chairs, miles of cordons, hundreds of Carabinieri and Policia and a hefty contingent of discreetely dressed security guards awaiting thousands of faithful to listen to Pope Benedict delivering a blessing from the famous St Peter Balcony. I arrived early, chairs, square and Cathedral were relatively empty, and the line up to pass through security and metal detectors was almost nonexistent. Not so when I emerged, when said line up snaked down almost to the shores of the Tiber. Legions of priests in cassocs and loaded with backpacks hailing from all over the Globe moved like flocks of black lambs throughout the Square and interior of the Cathedral.
Inside, photos were permitted, however, several side 'chapels' were off limits to entry and photo, as they were dedicated to prayer of mass in progress. Glimpses inside revealed golden splendour and scores of priceless paintings.
One could hear the immense organ fill the lofty edifice with sound....I wish I could have heard Bach's Toccata and Fugue in St Peter's.
Might even get to catching up with some of the previous ports to Rome once we are back at sea and crossing the Atlantic....but, St Peter could not wait for it's turn in the sequence.
