Editing St. Peter's Basilica (section)

==Treasures==
===Tombs and relics===
{{Main list|List of extant papal tombs}}
[[File:Basilica di san pietro.JPG|thumb|[[Air vent]]s for the crypt in St. Peter's Basilica|alt=White and orange marble rings a circular, decorated bronze vent]]
There are over 100 [[tomb]]s within St. Peter's Basilica (extant to various extents), many located beneath the Basilica. These include 91 popes, Saint [[Ignatius of Antioch]], Holy Roman Emperor [[Otto II]], and the composer [[Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina]]. Exiled Catholic British royalty [[James Francis Edward Stuart]] and his two sons, [[Charles Edward Stuart]] and [[Henry Benedict Stuart]], Cardinal Bishop of Frascati, are buried here, having been granted asylum by [[Pope Clement XI]]. Also buried here are [[Maria Klementyna Sobieska|Maria Clementina Sobieska]], wife of [[James Francis Edward Stuart]], Queen [[Christina of Sweden]], who abdicated her throne in order to convert to [[Catholicism]], and [[Countess]] [[Matilda of Tuscany]], supporter of the Papacy during the [[Investiture Controversy]]. The most recent interment was [[Pope Benedict XVI]], on 5 January 2023. Beneath, near the [[crypt]], is the recently discovered vaulted fourth-century "[[Tomb of the Julii]]". (See below for some descriptions of tombs).

===Artworks===
====Towers and narthex====
* In the towers to either side of the facade are two clocks. The clock on the left has been operated electrically since 1931. Its oldest bell dates from 1288.
* One of the most important treasures of the basilica is a mosaic set above the central external door. Called the "Navicella", it is based on a design by [[Giotto]] (early 14th century) and represents a ship symbolizing the Christian Church.<ref name=Pinto/> The mosaic is mostly a 17th-century copy of Giotto's original.
* At each end of the narthex is an equestrian figure, to the north [[Constantine the Great]] by Bernini (1670) and to the south [[Equestrian statue of Charlemagne (Cornacchini)|Charlemagne]] by [[Agostino Cornacchini|Cornacchini]] (18th century).<ref name=Pinto/>
* Of the five portals from the narthex to the interior, three contain notable doors. The central portal has the Renaissance bronze door by [[Antonio di Pietro Averlino|Antonio Averulino]] (called Filarete) (1455), enlarged to fit the new space. The southern door, the ''[[Door of the Dead in St. Peter's Basilica|Door of the Dead]]'', was designed by 20th-century sculptor [[Giacomo Manzù]] and includes a portrait of Pope John XXIII kneeling before the crucified figure of Saint Peter.
* The northernmost door is the "Holy Door" which, by tradition, is walled-up with bricks, and opened only for holy years such as the [[Jubilee (Christian)|Jubilee year]] by the Pope. The present door is bronze and was designed by [[Vico Consorti]] in 1950 and cast in [[Florence]] by the [[Ferdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry]]. Above it are inscriptions commemorating the opening of the door: PAVLVS V PONT MAX ANNO XIII and GREGORIVS XIII PONT MAX.

Recently installed commemorative plaques read above the door as follows:
{{blockquote|PAVLVS VI PONT MAX HVIVS PATRIARCALIS VATICANAE BASILICAE PORTAM SANCTAM APERVIT ET CLAVSIT ANNO IVBILAEI MCMLXXV<br />(Paul VI, Pontifex Maximus, opened and closed the holy door of this patriarchal Vatican basilica in the jubilee year of 1975.)}}
{{blockquote|IOANNES PAVLVS II P.M. PORTAM SANCTAM ANNO IVBILAEI MCMLXXVI A PAVLO PP VI RESERVATAM ET CLAVSAM APERVIT ET CLAVSIT ANNO IVB HVMANE REDEMP MCMLXXXIII–MCMLXXXIV<br />(John Paul II, Pontifex Maximus, opened and closed again the holy door closed and set apart by Pope Paul VI in 1976 in the jubilee year of human redemption 1983–1984.)}}
{{blockquote|IOANNES PAVLVS II P.M. ITERVM PORTAM SANCTAM APERVIT ET CLAVSIT ANNO MAGNI IVBILAEI AB INCARNATIONE DOMINI MM–MMI<br />(John Paul II, Pontifex Maximus, again opened and closed the holy door in the year of the great jubilee, from the incarnation of the Lord 2000–2001.)}}
{{blockquote|FRANCISCVS PP. PORTAM SANCTAM ANNO MAGNI IVB MM–MMI A IOANNE PAVLO PP. II RESERVATAM ET CLAVSAM APERVIT ET CLAVSIT ANNO IVB MISERICORDIAE MMXV–MMXVI<br />(Pope Francis opened and closed again the holy door, closed and set apart by Pope John Paul II in the year of the great jubilee 2000–2001, in the jubilee year of Mercy 2015–2016.)}}

Older commemorative plaques are removed to make way for the new plaque when the holy door is opened and sealed.

====Nave====
* On the first piers of the nave are two Holy Water basins held by pairs of [[cherub]]s each 2 metres high, commissioned by [[Pope Benedict XIII]] from designer [[Agostino Cornacchini]] and sculptor Francesco Moderati, (1720s).
* Along the floor of the nave are markers showing the comparative lengths of other churches, starting from the entrance.
* On the decorative pilasters of the piers of the nave are medallions with relief depicting 56 of the first popes.
* In niches between the pilasters of the nave are statues depicting 39 founders of religious orders.
* Set against the north east pier of the dome is a statue of ''Saint Peter Enthroned'', sometimes attributed to late 13th-century sculptor [[Arnolfo di Cambio]], with some scholars dating it to the fifth century. One foot of the statue is largely worn away by [[Christian pilgrimage|pilgrims]] kissing it for centuries.
* The sunken Confessio leading to the [[Vatican Grottoes]] (see above) contained a large kneeling statue by [[Canova]] of [[Pope Pius VI]], who was captured and mistreated by [[Napoleon|Napoleon Bonaparte's]] army.  This has now been moved to the back (eastern) end of the grottoes.
* In the Confessio is the ''Niche of the Pallium'' ("Niche of Stoles") which contains a bronze urn, donated by [[Pope Benedict XIV]], to contain white stoles embroidered with black crosses and woven with the wool of lambs blessed on the feastday of St. Agnes.
* The High [[Altar]] is surmounted by Bernini's [[baldachin]]. (See above)
* Set in niches within the four piers supporting the dome are the larger-than-life statues associated with the basilica's primary holy relics: [[Helena (empress)|Saint Helena]] holding the [[True Cross]] and the [[Nail (relic)|Holy Nails]], by [[Andrea Bolgi]]; [[Saint Longinus]] holding the [[Holy Lance|spear that pierced the side of Jesus]], by Bernini (1639); [[Andrew the Apostle|Saint Andrew]] with the [[Saltire|St. Andrew's Cross]], by [[Francois Duquesnoy]] and [[Saint Veronica]] holding her [[Veil of Veronica|veil with the image of Jesus' face]], by [[Francesco Mochi]].

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Saint Helena.jpg|alt= A marble statue showing a matronly woman in a sweeping cloak supporting a cross which stands beside her and presenting a set of nails to the viewer with her left hand|''Saint Helena''<br />by Andrea Bolgi
File:Saint Longinus.jpg|alt= This statue shows a Roman soldier, with a cloak furling around him, gazing upward while he supports a long spear with his right hand and throws out his other hand in amazement.|''Saint Longinus''<br />by Bernini
File:Saint Andreas.jpg|alt= This statue shows an elderly man, bare-chested, and draped, looking up despairingly as he supports a large cross, arranged diagonally.|''Saint Andrew''<br />by Francois Duquesnoy
File:Saint veronica.jpg|alt= This statue shows the saint as a young woman, who, with a sweeping dramatic gesture, displays a cloth on which there is an image of the face of Jesus.|''Saint Veronica''<br />by Francesco Mochi
</gallery>

====North aisle====
* In the first chapel of the north aisle is Michelangelo's ''Pietà''.{{NoteTag|The statue was damaged in 1972 by Lazlo Toft, a Hungarian-Australian, who considered that the veneration shown to the statue was idolatrous. The damage was repaired and the statue subsequently placed behind glass.}}
* On the first pier in the right aisle is the monument of [[Queen Christina of Sweden]], who abdicated in 1654 in order to convert to Catholicism.
* The second chapel, dedicated to [[Saint Sebastian]], contains the statues of popes [[Pope Pius XI|Pius XI]] and [[Pope Pius XII|Pius XII]]. The space below the altar used to be the resting place of [[Pope Innocent XI]] but his remains were moved to the ''Altar of the Transfiguration'' on 8 April 2011. This was done to make way for the body of [[Pope John Paul II]]. His remains were placed beneath the altar on 2 May 2011.
* The large chapel on the right aisle is the ''Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament'' which contains the tabernacle by Bernini (1664) resembling Bramante's ''Tempietto'' at [[San Pietro in Montorio]] supported by two kneeling angels and with behind it a painting of the [[Holy Trinity]] by [[Pietro da Cortona]].
* Near the altar of ''Our Lady of Succour'' are the monuments of popes [[Pope Gregory XIII|Gregory XIII]] by [[Camillo Rusconi]] (1723) and [[Pope Gregory XIV|Gregory XIV]].
* At the end of the aisle is an altar containing the relics of [[Saint Petronilla]] and with an altarpiece ''The Burial of St Petronilla'' by [[Guercino]] (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), 1623.

====South aisle====
* The first chapel in the south aisle is the baptistry, commissioned by [[Pope Innocent XII]] and designed by [[Carlo Fontana]], (great nephew of Domenico Fontana). The font was carved from the lid of the purple porphyry [[sarcophagus]] which had once held the remains of the Emperor [[Hadrian]], and is surmounted with a gilt-bronze figure of the "[[Lamb of God]]". Fontana's reworked [[Porphyry (geology)|porphyry]] sarcophagus lid font replaced an earlier font, which was re-purposed from the sarcophagus of [[Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus|Probus]], the fourth-century [[Praefectus urbi|Prefect of Rome]], and which was used for baptisms from the 15th century until the late 17th century, when Fontana's work was completed.
* Against the first pier of the aisle is the [[Monument to the Royal Stuarts]]: [[James Francis Edward Stuart|James Stuart]], known as the "Old Pretender" and his sons, [[Charles Edward Stuart|Charles Edward]], known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie", and [[Henry Benedict Stuart|Henry]], a cardinal. The tomb is a [[Neoclassical architecture|Neo-Classical]] design by [[Canova]] unveiled in 1819. Opposite it is the memorial of James Francis Edward Stuart's wife, [[Maria Klementyna Sobieska|Maria Clementina Sobieska]].
* The second chapel is that of the ''Presentation of the Virgin'' and contains the memorials of [[Pope Benedict XV]] and [[Pope John XXIII]].
* Against the piers are the tombs of [[Pope Pius X]] and [[Pope Innocent VIII]].
* The large chapel off the south aisle is the ''Choir Chapel'' which contains the altar of the ''[[Immaculate Conception]]''.
* At the entrance to the [[Sacristy]] is the tomb of [[Pope Pius VIII]]
* The south transept contains the altars of [[Thomas the Apostle|Saint Thomas]], [[Saint Joseph]] and the ''Crucifixion of Saint Peter''.
* The tomb of Fabio Chigi, [[Pope Alexander VII]], towards the end of the aisle, is the work of Bernini and called by Lees-Milne "one of the greatest tombs of the [[Baroque]] Age". It occupies an awkward position, being set in a niche above a doorway into a small vestry, but Bernini has utilized the doorway in a symbolic manner. Pope Alexander kneels upon his tomb, facing outward. The tomb is supported on a large draped shroud in patterned red marble, and is supported by four female figures, of whom only the two at the front are fully visible. They represent [[Charity (virtue)|Charity]] and [[Truth]]. The foot of Truth rests upon a globe of the world, her toe being pierced symbolically by the thorn of Protestant England. Coming forth, seemingly, from the doorway as if it were the entrance to a tomb, is the skeletal winged figure of [[Death]],<!-- -NOTE: Death requires a capital letter in this sense.- --> its head hidden beneath the shroud, but its right hand carrying an [[hourglass]] stretched upward towards the kneeling figure of the pope.<ref name=JL-M/>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Rome basilica st peter 004 adjusted.JPG|alt=A pair of bronze doors divided into sixteen panels containing reliefs depicting scenes mainly from the life of Jesus and stories that he told.|The Holy Door is opened only for great celebrations.
File:0 Monument funéraire du pape Alexandre VII - St-Pierre - Vatican (1).jpg|alt=A large memorial set in a niche. The marble figure of a kneeling pope is surrounded by allegoric marble figures, and sculptured drapery surfaced with patterned red stone.|The tomb of Alexander VII, by [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]], 1671–1678<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Docs/seminarians4.htm |website=saintpetersbasilica.org |title=The Seminarian GuidesNorth American College, Rome |access-date=29 July 2009 |archive-date=3 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703193942/http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Docs/seminarians4.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Rome basilica st peter 011c adjusted.jpg|alt=Peter is shown as a bearded man in draped garment like a toga. He is seated on a chair made of marble, and has his right hand raised in a gesture of blessing while in his left hand he holds two large keys. Behind the statue, the wall is patterned in mosaic to resemble red and gold brocade cloth.|The bronze statue of Saint Peter holding the keys of heaven, attributed to [[Arnolfo di Cambio]]
File:Michelangelo's Pietà, St Peter's Basilica (1498–99).jpg|alt=This marble statue shows the Virgin Mary seated, mourning over the lifeless body of Jesus which is supported across her knees.|The [[Pietà (Michelangelo)|''Pietà'']] by [[Michelangelo]], 1498–1499, is in the north aisle.
</gallery>