St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica located in Rome is a Cathedral that reflects the genus and skill of one of the greatest artist that ever lived, Michelangelo. The 90 year old Michelangelo presented a model to Pope Paul IV. Although he died before the cathedrals completion the masters skill is still event in the walls.

The thought of the cathedral was thought up by Pope Nicholas V and ordered to be built in 1452. The initial construction of the cathedral started in 1506 by Pope Julius II and was completed in 1615, under Paul V. In 1546, Michelangelo became the chief architecture for St. Peter's Basilica. Three decades later, in 1564 when Michelangelo died, only the dome was completed.

After more than a century, the dome started to crack and looked as if it were going to split open. Around 1742, Giovanni Poleni was called in to fix the problem. He solved the problem by wrapping five more iron chains around the dome. There are quite a bit of of vertical cracks which cause the dome to form arches. Giovanni had determined that these cracks would pose no danger. It is believed that the cathedral is built over the tomb of Saint Peter.

Michelangelo's reason for building St. Peter's: "...to the glory of God, in honor of St. Peter and for the salvation of my soul."

The design of the cathedral has gone through Julius II, Leo X, Raphael, Peruzzi, Sansovino, Michelangelo, Vignola, Gregory XIII, Giacoma DellaPorta, Sixtus V, Gregory XIV, and Clement VIII.