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| Sunday, 11 December 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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St. Peter's Basilica : Most important Christian church
Although it holds second place among the five major basilicas of Rome and the Vatican City enclave, it is recognised as the largest church in Christianity with an area of 230,000m2 and could accommodate about 60,000 people. The Basilica of St. Peter (Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano) is located in the St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) near the river Tiber in Rome, Italy, and is the church of the Vatican City State. The cathedral stands on a historic site once occupied by another basilica built over the tomb of St. Peter, one of Jesus' 12 apostles and the first Pope, who died in 64AD. This building was built by Emperor Constantine I after he recognised Christianity, and was completed in 324AD. Many other latter day Popes are also buried here. Although it's not the Pope's official seat, it is often used by him, with most of the important religious events taking place there due to its size, name, proximity to the Papal residence and its location within the Vatican City. It also holds the relics of the Cathedra Petri (throne of St. Peter), which the apostle used when he led the Roman Church. The St. Peter's Basilica was launched by Pope Julius II who assigned Michelangelo and Donato Bramante, the greatest architects of the Italian Renaissance, to handle design and construction. Bramante was the first chief architect for the project, and was later followed by Michelangelo. Although work was halted after the Pope's death, Pope Paul III asked Michelangelo to commence building. It took over a century to construct the St. Peter's Basilica (1506-1626). The designing and completion of the cathedral's egg-shaped dome was handed over by Pope Paul III to Michelangelo in 1546, but only a portion was finished before the designer died in 1564. It was eventually completed under Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590), by Michelangelo's student Giacomo della Porta in 1590. The cathedral was opened by Pope Urban VIII in 1626. St.Peter's Square is surrounded by an elliptical colonnade (column of pillars) designed by the renowned 17th century designer Gianlorenzo Bernini. It was built between 1656 and 1667. It has 88 piers and 284 pillars.In the centre of this colonnade is a 25.5 metre tall obelisk (40 metres including the cross at the top and the base) dating back to the 13th century BC and which was moved there in 1585 under Pope Sixtus V. The Square also contains two identical fountains. At the entrance to the Basilica stand statues representing Jesus, St. John the Baptist and 11 apostles. A statue of St. Peter is inside the building. The Basilica has an internal length of 180 metres and is 135 metres wide at the transepts. Its dome (cupola) has an internal diameter of 42 metres and rises about 138 metres above the floor. ######### Mosque with six minarets
You may have read of the unsuccessful efforts made by Turkey recently to become part of the European Union. Istanbul, Turkey's capital, is a city which blends the east and west and the past and present. One of the most well-known landmarks in Istanbul is the Blue Mosque, also known among Turks as Sultanahmet Camii (camii is mosque). It is on the southeastern side of the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet, and is built on the site of the Great Palace of Byzantium. Closeby is another well-known mosque, Ayosofya (Hagra Sophia), which was built by Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Milety. Although the Blue Mosque is smaller, it's better decorated. It was built by the architect Sedefkar Mehmet Aga between 1603 and 1617 under the instructions of Sultan Ahmet, who wanted a mosque bigger than the Ayosofya. Built in the classic Ottoman design, it is considered as a masterpiece of this architectural style. Aga died at the age of 27, one year after construction was completed. An exceptional feature of the mosque is its six minarets. This is one of the few mosques in the world to have six minarets, as they usually have either four, two or one. It is also the biggest in the world to have six minarets. The Blue Mosque was thus named by the Europeans due to the colour of its interior tiles, especially those on the upper levels. Over 20,000 Iznik tiles were used in the building (Iznik produced high quality ceramic tiles often with beautiful floral decorations). The over 260 windows, some of them with beautiful stained glass, have also contributed to the name. The mosque is 64 by 72 metres in size. The many domes of the building were designed by Aga to imitate the effect created by the Ayosofya architects, to whom he pays tribute with his creation. The central dome is 43 metres in height and 33.4 metres in diameter. It rests on four semi-domes which themselves rest on smaller domes. There are no images or statues inside the mosque as Islam forbids the
worshipping of images. It has a courtyard as large as the prayer hall. The
mosque is the venue for a lights show at 9.00pm in the summer when the
story of how it was built is told. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
As we get ready to celebrate Christmas, one place that will be very
much in focus is the Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City in Rome.
This place is important for Catholics and Christians all over the world as
it's generally considered as the heart of Roman Catholicism. 
