The Vatican - St. Peter's Basilica
November 20, 2007
To enter St. Peter's Basilica, you have to go to the line on the right arch columns. Look
at the right side of this picture. You can see the people leading up to the little fence
area. Up near the black square is a group of people. That is where the scanners are.
You empty your pockets, place you bag and jacket on the scan belt, and walk through the
scanner. It's easier than the US airports nowadays. After that, all you need to do is to walk
up to the Basilica.
When you approach the steps, there will be signs directing you to
the Basilica, the dome of the Basilica, or the burial vaults underneath
the Basilica where our most recent popes Pope John Paul I, and Pope John Paul II
are buried.
The statue of St. Peter holding the key to Heaven.
Looking back out to the Piazza...
...And back to St. Peter's.
Above the Tomb of St. Peter
Unfortunately, most of my pictures from the inside of St. Peter's Basilica did not turn out.
I was certain they wouldn't due to the low lighting. Fortunately, St. Peter's has a
web site with a floor plan. In the floor plan are numbers designating each area,
with a corresponding numeric key.
St. Peter's Basilica - On the left side
of the screen it says, "Welcome." Underneath is "Floorplan." Use that link to see this.
You can click on the numbers or area names to
see picture(s) of the area and a description.
For example, St. Peter's tomb are numbers 36 and 37.
Go to page 18 - Vatican Plaza.
Go to page 20 - St. Peter's Basilica.
Jump back 10 pages to Page 9 - The Roman Forum - Via Sacra.
Jump ahead 10 pages to Page 29 - Victor Emmanuel Monument.