2-359-599 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

St Peter's Square and Basilica and the Vatican, Rome, Italy. St Peter's Square was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and built between 1656 and 1667. At the centre of the piazza stands an Ancient Egyptian obelisk dating from the 13th century BC, which was brought to Rome in the 1st century to stand at the centre of the Circus of Nero. Built on what tradition holds is the site of the martyrdom of St Peter, the first Pope, St Peter's Basilica replaced a previous basilica built by the Emperor Constantine in 324. The current basilica was begun in 1506 during the papacy of Julius II and was completed under Paul V in 1615. The dome, one of Rome's most prominent landmarks, was designed by Michelangelo, and completed after his death by his student, Giacomo della Porta. Stereoscopic card detail.