St. Peter's Square

This is a big, open space.

It is in Vatican City. It sits right in front of a large church.

A tall stone pole stands in the middle.

This pole came from a land called Egypt.

Many rows of stone columns stand around the edge. They look like big arms. They wrap around the people in the square.

There are two fountains here. One fountain was built a long time ago. A man named Bernini built the other one.

It is a very special place to visit.

St. Peter's Square is a large open space.

It sits in Vatican City. This is a small area inside Rome. The square is right in front of St. Peter's Basilica. This is a very famous church. Both the square and the church are named after Saint Peter.

A tall stone pole stands in the middle.

This is the Vatican obelisk. It is made of red granite. It came from a place called Egypt. It is very old. It is the only one in Rome that has not fallen over since ancient times. In 1817, people added stones to the ground. These stones show where the obelisk's shadow falls at noon. This makes the pole act like a giant sundial.

Many rows of columns stand around the edge.

A man named Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed them. There are 248 columns. They are four columns deep. Bernini wanted the columns to feel like the arms of a mother. He wanted to welcome people to the church. There are also two granite fountains in the square. One was built in 1613. Bernini built the other one in 1675.

St. Peter's Square is a huge, famous plaza.

It sits in Vatican City, which is a small area inside Rome. The square is located right in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Both the church and the square are named after Saint Peter. He was an apostle of Jesus. Many people believe he was the very first Pope. The square is a very important place for many people around the world.

At the center of the square stands the Vatican obelisk.

This tall pole is made of red granite. It originally came from a place called Heliopolis in Egypt. It was moved to Rome in AD 37 by the Emperor Caligula. Later, an engineer named Domenico Fontana moved it to its current spot in 1586. It is the only ancient obelisk in Rome that has never fallen over. In 1817, people even used it as a giant sundial. They placed stones on the ground to mark its shadow at noon.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square's famous look.

He worked on the design between 1676 and 1667. He did this under the direction of Pope Alexander VII. Bernini wanted a space where many people could see the Pope. He wanted them to watch him give his blessings from the church. The square has a special shape called an ovato tondo. This is a shape that is both an oval and a circle. It is 240 metres across.

The square is surrounded by massive stone columns.

These are called colonnades. They are four columns deep and use a style called Tuscan. There are 248 columns and 88 pilasters in total. Bernini said the columns were like the maternal arms of Mother Church. They reach out to embrace the people who visit. There are also 140 statues of saints on the top edge. Two large granite fountains sit in the square to match each other.

Today, the square is a busy and grand place.

You can walk to it from the Ponte Sant'Angelo. This path is called the Via della Conciliazione. This wide road was finished in time for the Great Jubilee of 1950. Even though the square is in Vatican City, Italian police help manage the crowds. This happens because of a special agreement called the Lateran Treaty. It is a place where history and modern life meet every day.

St. Peter's Square is a massive, historic plaza located in Vatican City. This small papal enclave sits within Rome, Italy. The square is positioned directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Both the basilica and the square are named after Saint Peter. Catholics consider him an apostle of Jesus and the first Pope. Today, the square serves as a grand forecourt for the basilica. It is a place where millions of visitors gather to experience religious history.

The square's layout is a complex piece of Baroque architecture. It features a shape known as an ovato tondo. This term describes a shape that is both an oval and a circle. The ovato tondo is 240 metres across. The design creates a trapezoidal entrance to the basilica. This shape provides a heightened perspective for visitors. It also creates a specific sense of movement. The long axis of the oval runs parallel to the basilica's façade. This design provides a pause in the sequence of movement as people approach the church.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was the architect who gave the square its famous form. He worked on the redesign between 1676 and 1667. He did this under the direction of Pope Alexander VII. Bernini wanted to create a space where the largest number of people could see the Pope. He specifically designed it so people could watch the Pope give blessings. This might happen from the middle of the basilica's façade. It might also happen from a window in the Vatican Palace. Bernini used a style called the Tuscan order for the colonnades. He chose this to avoid competing with the palace-like façade designed by Carlo Maderno. However, he built them on a colossal scale to inspire awe.

The most striking feature of the square is the massive colonnades.

These structures frame the elliptical area and the entrance. They consist of 248 columns and 88 pilasters. The colonnades are four columns deep. Bernini described them as the "maternal arms of Mother Church." This was meant to show how the church embraces its visitors. There are also 140 statues of saints that crown the cornice. The colonnades also serve a practical purpose. On the north side, they help mask various Vatican structures. On the south side, they define the space near the Barberini Gardens.

At the very center of the square stands the Vatican obelisk.

This is an ancient Egyptian obelisk made of red granite. It is uninscribed and sits on bronze lions. The top features the Chigi arms in bronze and a cross. The obelisk was originally built in Heliopolis, Egypt, by an unknown pharaoh. The Emperor Augustus later moved it to Alexandria. In AD 37, the Emperor Caligula had it moved to Rome. He placed it on the spina of the Circus of Nero. Domenico Fontana moved it to its current location in 1586. He worked under the direction of Pope Sixtus V. This obelisk is unique because it is the only one in Rome that has not toppled since antiquity.

The square also contains beautiful water features and unique paving. Two large granite fountains sit in the space. One was designed by Carlo Maderno in 1613. Bernini matched this by building a second fountain in 1675. The paving uses travertine to create radiating lines. This design helps prevent the ground from looking like a plain sea of setts. In 1817, the paving became even more functional. Circular stones were set to mark the tip of the obelisk's shadow at noon. As the sun moved through the signs of the zodiac, the obelisk acted like a giant sundial's gnomon.

Modern history has changed how people approach the square. The Via della Conciliazione is the grand road leading to the site. This road was created following the Lateran Treaty of 1929. Before this, a section called the spina divided the roads. This spina was demolished between 1936 and 1937. This demolition removed an important medieval and Renaissance quarter. It also removed the "Baroque surprise" of moving from a narrow space to a large one. Today, the square is subject to Italian police for crowd control. However, the Lateran Treaty states that Italian authorities must withdraw during special Holy See functions. This ensures the square remains a sacred and organized space for the world.