We never made it to St. Peter's because it was crowded and so we could have a Catholic service at St. Onofrio's.  Below are some pictures from previous trips to St. Peters.

Michelangelo's Pieta

A view of Joy and Katherine admiring a fountain with the columns and the Basilica in the background.

The most important sight in the world for Catholics, since it is the place where the Lord chose to establish his earthly authority.  St. Peter came to Rome sometime after he year 50 and was martyred in 63 or 67.  He is considered the first bishop of Rome and hence the first Pope.  He was crucified upside down in what was then the circus of Nero near the Vatican Hill, and buried in a nearby pagan cemetery in a shallow tomb.  The early Christians flocked to his tomb and eventually a small shrine was built over the tomb.  With the legalization of Christianity in the fourth century  a basilica was built over his tomb by Constantine in 323.  It was an enormous project which required the removal of the Vatican Hill  to make room for the new church.  It was consecrated  in 326 by Pope Sylvester I and finished in the middle of the fourth century.  This original basilica remained intact 1450 when a massive restoration project was begun.

Pope Julius II (1503-1513) decided that restoration was not enough and had the original structure demolished.  He hired Donato Bramante as chief architect, and the first stone was laid by the pope on April 18 1506.  A series  of architectural and artistic geniuses took over Bramante's work after his death.  Raphael, Sangallo and Michelangelo all had their turn at directing the work of the new St. Peter's.  The basilica was consecrated on November 18, 1626, by Pope Urban VIII, exactly 1300 years after the original  one had been consecrated.  This new church took 120 years to complete.