St. Peter’s Square is one of the most famous piazzas on planet earth. But it wasn’t always the grand theatrical space we know and love today.
Before 1656, it was little more than a dusty patch with a single obelisk. Then Pope Alexander VII called in superstar Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and everything changed.
Bernini transformed a massive empty space into a monumental stage set for the Catholic Church. He designed an enormous elliptical plaza framed by two sweeping colonnades, their four rows of Doric columns forming a dramatic embrace.
The result wasn’t just architectural. It was symbolic. The colonnades stretch out like open arms, welcoming pilgrims into the spiritual heart of Rome.
The intent was to let the people see, first hand, the papal blessing and coronations. These happen at the balcony in the middle of the facade over the central doorway. The windows open and the pope waves to the faithful.
The colonnades, facade of St. Peter’s Basilica, obelisk, and fountains are all illuminated after dark year round. And, during the holiday season, a massive Christmas tree and nativity scene are added near the obelisk.
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Overview
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll find in St. Peter’s Square:
- St. Peter’s Basilica: Facade by Maderno, dome by Michelangelo
- Egyptian Obelisk: Brought to Rome by Caligula and moved here in 1586
- Bernini Fountain (South): Installed in 1677 to balance the square
- Maderno Fountain (North): Built in 1613, the original
- Double Colonnade: Symbolizes the Church’s open arms
- 140 Statues: Saints stand above the colonnade, welcoming visitors
- Center of Colonnade: Stand here to see the four rows of columns align
- Legendary Carved Heart: Said to mark where Emperor Nero’s ashes were scattered or be carved by Bernini
To learn more about the basilica itself, check out my complete guide to St. Peter’s Basilica.
What To See In St. Peter’s Square
History & Architecture
Here’s a timeline of the square’s construction:
- 37 AD: Obelisk brought to Rome by Caligula
- 1586: Obelisk moved to square
- 1656–67: Bernini builds colonnades
- 1675–77: Bernini fountain added
- 1703: Statues completed
Building it wasn’t as easy as it might sound. There were site constraints Bernini had to deal with.
For example, the Vatican palace was already standing. And there was an obelisk and a fountain as well. These pre-existing monuments limited the space available to Bernini.
What he does with that space, though, is sheer genius. It essentially consists of two geometric shapes.
A trapezoid closest to the basilica. This was similar to the trapezoidal piazza Michelangelo designed for the Capitoline Museums a century earlier.
The other major geometric shape he employs is the ellipse, which takes up the majority of the piazza.
The ellipse is designed like a saucer, a little higher around the edges. When the square is full of crowds, this allows those on the periphery to see above the throngs.
Colonnades
What unifies the entirety of the space is the use of the Doric order.
There are colossal Doric order columns that create the arms, or colonnades, of the elliptical space. Bernini dubbed them the “maternal arms of mother church.”
There are 284 columns in total. There are 37 columns per row. Each column is 43 feet tall, smaller than the ones on the facade of the basilica.
Bernini purposely made the square’s columns shorter to keep the focus on the facade and dome of the basilica.
This creates a dramatic sense of progression. As you move inward, the scale builds toward the towering church, reinforcing the theatrical, processional experience.
It also keeps the colonnade human-scaled at ground level, making the piazza feel welcoming rather than overwhelming.
And the colonnades run four columns deep. If you’re in the piazza, be sure to walk through this veritable forest.
If you stand on the foci of the ellipse (marble plates) near the fountain designed by Maderno, the columns line up perfectly behind one another.
Fountains
Bernini also added another fountain on the south side of the piazza.
It mirrors Maderno’s fountain on the north side in overall form. But it’s more dynamic in detail, in keeping with Bernini’s theatrical Baroque style.
Water shoots from the top and flows down a series of stone bowls into a big round basin. It adds a bit of sparkle and sound to the square, tying in nicely with the surrounding colonnade.
Balustrade Statues
On the balustrade at the top of the columns are a line of 140 statues crafted by Bernini’s workshop.
The statues represent a wide range of Catholic saints, including apostles, martyrs, popes, founders of religious orders, and other notable holy figures from early Christianity through the Counter-Reformation.
They’re meant to welcome you too. You’ll almost feel like they’re waving you into the square and basilica.
Each statue stands about 10.5 feet tall. From the ground, they appear perfectly proportioned thanks to clever visual planning.
If you get a good zoom lens or binoculars, you can spot the saints’ attributes like keys, books, crosses, and other saintly symbols.
Egyptian Obelisk
At the piazza’s center is an Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome by the Roman Emperor Caligula around 37 A.D. It’s a nice reminder that each civilization builds on the previous ones.
It’s red granite obelisk, over 84 feet tall and 135 feet tall if you include the base and cross. It weighs around 320 tons.
Caligula had it transported to Rome to decorate the spina (central spine) of his circus, the Circus of Nero. It once stood where St. Peter’s Basilica is now.
Is it important? Yes, it’s the only obelisk in Rome that never fell. It’s been standing since antiquity. It’s 2,000 years old!
Instead of a pyramidion (the original Egyptian tip), it now has a puny little bronze cross on top. It supposedly holds a fragment of the True Cross. Let’s just say it’s like a thin Christian veneer over our pagan origins.
The obelisk also acts as a gnomon (shadow-casting device) for a solar meridian line. Zodiac markers on the ground showing the position of the sun at different times of year.
The paving stones of the square are cobblestone and travertine marble. And they radiate from the central hub of the obelisk.
Marble Discs
You’ll also see a travertine disc known as the “Centro del Colonnato” (Center of the Colonnade), sometimes nicknamed the “heart” of the square.
It’s marked in the pavement near the obelisk, roughly between the two fountains and close to the central axis of the square.
If you stand directly on this spot and look at the colonnade, the four rows of columns suddenly align so perfectly that they appear as a single row.
This is one of Bernini’s brilliant optical illusions. It was meant to show how order and clarity emerge when you stand in the “right” place.
There’s another disc nearby with a carved heart. Legend holds that Bernini secretly carved the heart as a symbol of his heartbreak after catching his lover Costanza and brother in an affair.
Supposedly, he placed it where he could “step on it every day” in defiance or grief. This was on top of slashing Costanza’s face with a knife, which happily for Bernini the pope forgave.
The heartbreak and the scandal was real. But the heart itself is almost certainly a case of urban legend layered over urban design. Still, it’s a fun bit of lore.
An even more romantic interpretation of the stone’s shape suggests that it represents eternal love. Some believe that couples who stand on the stone together will be blessed with a long and loving relationship.
Yet another popular legend claims the heart shaped stone marks the spot where Emperor Nero’s ashes were scattered. Denied a proper burial, his cursed spirit is said to haunt the square. Some even say you can hear his ghost wailing near the obelisk at night.
The piazza is so beloved that it’s been untouched for the last 400 years. Since everything changes in Rome, this is significant.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to St. Peter’s Square. You may find these other Vatican City guides useful:
- Masterpieces of the Vatican
- Guide to the Vatican Pinacoteca
- Guide to the Vatican’s Raphael Rooms
- Guide to the Sistine Chapel
- Underpants in the Sistine Chapel
- Guide to St. Peter’s Basilica
- 1 day itinerary for Vatican City
- Hidden gems in the Vatican
- Famous sculptures in the Vatican
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