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103-482: Vatican Council may refer to: First Vatican Council (1869–1870), the 20th ecumenical council recognized by Roman Catholicism Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the 21st ecumenical council recognized by Roman Catholicism Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Vatican Council . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
206-450: A giant order of columns, stretches across the end of the square and is approached by steps on which stand two 5.55-metre (18.2 ft) statues of the first-century apostles to Rome, Saints Peter and Paul . The basilica is cruciform in shape, with an elongated nave in the Latin cross form but the early designs were for a centrally planned structure and this is still in evidence in
309-420: A building site at which four piers, enormous beyond any constructed since ancient Roman times, were rising behind the remaining nave of the old basilica. He also inherited the numerous schemes designed and redesigned by some of the greatest architectural and engineering minds of the 16th century. There were certain common elements in these schemes. They all called for a dome to equal that engineered by Brunelleschi
412-524: A century earlier and which has since dominated the skyline of Renaissance Florence, and they all called for a strongly symmetrical plan of either Greek Cross form, like the iconic St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, or of a Latin Cross with the transepts of identical form to the chancel, as at Florence Cathedral . Even though the work had progressed only a little in 40 years, Michelangelo did not simply dismiss
515-424: A continuous band, giving the appearance of keeping the whole building in a state of compression. The dome of St. Peter's rises to a total height of 136.57 metres (448.1 ft) from the floor of the basilica to the top of the external cross. It is the tallest dome in the world . Its internal diameter is 41.47 metres (136.1 ft), slightly smaller than two of the three other huge domes that preceded it, those of
618-399: A continuous wall surface that is folded or fractured at different angles, but lacks the right angles which usually define change of direction at the corners of a building. This exterior is surrounded by a giant order of Corinthian pilasters all set at slightly different angles to each other, in keeping with the ever-changing angles of the wall's surface. Above them, the huge cornice ripples in
721-532: A few Armenians . Only a few bishops appear to have had doubts about the dogma itself. On 24 April 1870, the dogmatic constitution on the Catholic faith Dei Filius was adopted unanimously. The draft presented to the council on 8 March drew no serious criticism, but a group of 35 English-speaking bishops, who feared that the opening phrase of the first chapter, " Sancta romana catholica Ecclesia " ('Holy Roman Catholic Church'), might be construed as favouring
824-429: A formal definition of papal infallibility as they were in strengthening papal authority and, because of this, were willing to accept the agenda of the fallibilists. A minority, some 10% of the bishops, McBrien says, opposed the proposed definition of papal infallibility on both ecclesiastical and pragmatic grounds, because, in their opinion, it departed from the ecclesiastical structure of the early Christian church. From
927-481: A formula. With the exception of the lantern that surmounts it, the profile is very similar, except that in this case, the supporting wall becomes a drum raised high above ground level on four massive piers. The solid wall, as used at the Pantheon, is lightened at St. Peter's by Bramante piercing it with windows and encircling it with a peristyle . In the case of Florence Cathedral , the desired visual appearance of
1030-579: A large number of tombs of popes and other notable people, many of which are considered outstanding artworks. There are also a number of sculptures in niches and chapels, including Michelangelo 's Pietà . The central feature is a baldachin , or canopy over the Papal Altar, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini . The apse culminates in a sculptural ensemble, also by Bernini, and containing the symbolic Chair of Saint Peter . The American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson described St. Peter's as "an ornament of
1133-403: A large wooden model. Giacomo della Porta subsequently altered this model in several ways. The major change restored an earlier design, in which the outer dome appears to rise above, rather than rest directly on the base. Most of the other changes were of a cosmetic nature, such as the adding of lion's masks over the swags on the drum in honour of Pope Sixtus and adding a circlet of finials around
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#17327649489021236-483: A nave by Carlo Maderno . It is the chancel end (the ecclesiastical "Eastern end") with its huge centrally placed dome that is the work of Michelangelo. Because of its location within the Vatican State and because the projection of the nave screens the dome from sight when the building is approached from the square in front of it, the work of Michelangelo is best appreciated from a distance. What becomes apparent
1339-626: A pragmatic perspective, they feared that defining papal infallibility would alienate some Catholics, create new difficulties for union with non-Catholics, and provoke interference by governments in ecclesiastical affairs. Those who held this view included most of the German and Austro-Hungarian bishops, nearly half of the Americans, one third of the French, most of the Chaldaeans and Melkites , and
1442-593: A prisoner in the Vatican, issued the bull Postquam Dei munere , adjourning the council indefinitely. While some proposed to continue the council in the Belgian city of Mechlin , it was never reconvened. The council was formally closed in 1960 by Pope John XXIII , prior to the formation of the Second Vatican Council . In reaction to the political implications of the doctrine of infallibility on
1545-622: A scandal and led to the Protestant Reformation . Pope Julius' scheme for the grandest building in Christendom was the subject of a competition for which a number of entries remain intact in the Uffizi Gallery , Florence. It was the design of Donato Bramante that was selected, and for which the foundation stone was laid in 1506. This plan was in the form of an enormous Greek Cross with a dome inspired by that of
1648-652: Is a church built in the Renaissance style located in the Vatican City west of the River Tiber and near the Janiculum Hill and Hadrian's Mausoleum . Its central dome dominates the skyline of Rome. The basilica is approached via St. Peter's Square , a forecourt in two sections, both surrounded by tall colonnades . The first space is oval and the second trapezoidal. The façade of the basilica, with
1751-633: Is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City , an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome , Italy. It was initially planned in the 15th century by Pope Nicholas V and then Pope Julius II to replace the ageing Old St. Peter's Basilica , which was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great . Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and
1854-725: Is held by the Pope's cathedral, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran , the mother church of all churches in communion with the Catholic Church . However, St. Peter's is functionally the Pope's principal church, as most Papal liturgies and ceremonies take place there due to its size, proximity to the Papal residence, and location within the Vatican City proper. The " Chair of Saint Peter ", or cathedra , an ancient chair sometimes presumed to have been used by St. Peter himself, but which
1957-421: Is raised from the piers on a drum. The encircling peristyle of Bramante and the arcade of Sangallo are reduced to 16 pairs of Corinthian columns, each of 15 metres (49 ft) high which stand proud of the building, connected by an arch. Visually they appear to buttress each of the ribs, but structurally they are probably quite redundant. The reason for this is that the dome is ovoid in shape, rising steeply as does
2060-404: Is that the architect has greatly reduced the clearly defined geometric forms of Bramante's plan of a square with square projections, and also of Raphael's plan of a square with semi-circular projections. Michelangelo has blurred the definition of the geometry by making the external masonry of massive proportions and filling in every corner with a small vestry or stairwell. The effect created is of
2163-445: Is the nave of five bays, with a row of complex apsidal chapels off the aisles on either side. Raphael's plan for the chancel and transepts made the squareness of the exterior walls more definite by reducing the size of the towers, and the semi-circular apses more clearly defined by encircling each with an ambulatory. In 1520 Raphael also died, aged 37, and his successor Baldassare Peruzzi maintained changes that Raphael had proposed to
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#17327649489022266-466: The Anglican branch theory , later succeeded in having an additional adjective inserted, so that the final text read: " Sancta catholica apostolica romana Ecclesia " ('Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church'). The constitution thus set forth the teaching of the "Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church" on God, revelation and faith. There was stronger opposition to the draft constitution on the nature of
2369-1110: The Bonn Agreement . The Union of Utrecht still exists to this day and includes the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands , the Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany , the Old Catholic Church of Austria , the Old Catholic Church of the Czech Republic , the Polish-Catholic Church of the Republic of Poland and the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland . The Union of Scranton , formed by more theologically conservative Old Catholics,
2472-598: The Diocese of Rome (these equivalent titles being held by the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome), St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world", and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom ." Catholic tradition holds that the basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter , chief among Jesus 's apostles and also
2575-536: The Pantheon of Ancient Rome , 43.3 metres (142 ft), and Florence Cathedral of the Early Renaissance , 44 metres (144 ft). It has a greater diameter by approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) than Constantinople's Hagia Sophia church, completed in 537. It was to the domes of the Pantheon and Florence duomo that the architects of St. Peter's looked for solutions as to how to go about building what
2678-466: The cardinals resident in Rome to tender him their opinions as to the advisability of a council. The majority pronounced in favour of the scheme, dissenting voices being rare. After March 1865, the convocation of the council was no longer in doubt. Special bulls were reportedly issued with invitations to Eastern Orthodox and Protestant clerics as well as to other non-Catholics, but apparently none accepted
2781-419: The dome of Florence Cathedral, and therefore exerting less outward thrust than does a hemispherical dome, such as that of the Pantheon, which, although it is not buttressed, is countered by the downward thrust of heavy masonry which extends above the circling wall. The ovoid profile of the dome has been the subject of much speculation and scholarship over the past century. Michelangelo died in 1564, leaving
2884-570: The second tallest building in Rome as of 2016 . The dome's soaring height placed it among the tallest buildings of the Old World , and it continues to hold the title of tallest dome in the world . Though the largest dome in the world by diameter at the time of its completion, it no longer holds this distinction. After the crucifixion of Jesus, it is recorded in the Biblical book of the Acts of
2987-705: The sovereignty of secular states , some of the European kingdoms and republics took rapid action against the Catholic Church. The Austrian Empire annulled the Concordat of 1855 . In the Kingdom of Prussia , the anti-Catholic Kulturkampf broke out immediately afterwards, and in the French Third Republic the synod so accentuated the power of ultramontanism (an emphasis on the powers of
3090-733: The Apostles that one of his twelve disciples, Simon known as Saint Peter, a fisherman from Galilee , took a leadership position among Jesus' followers and was of great importance in the founding of the Christian Church . The name Peter is "Petrus" in Latin and "Petros" in Greek, deriving from petra which means "stone" or "rock" in Greek , and is the literal translation of the Aramaic "Kepa",
3193-1054: The Chapel of the Presentation of the Virgin , the larger Choir Chapel, the altar of the Transfiguration, the Clementine Chapel with the altar of Saint Gregory , the Sacristy Entrance, the Altar of the Lie, the left transept with altars to the Crucifixion of Saint Peter, Saint Joseph and Saint Thomas , the altar of the Sacred Heart , the Chapel of the Madonna of Column, the altar of Saint Peter and
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3296-651: The Circus, on the Mons Vaticanus across the Via Cornelia from the Circus, less than 150 metres (490 ft) from his place of death. The Via Cornelia was a road which ran east-to-west along the north wall of the Circus on land now covered by the southern portions of the Basilica and St. Peter's Square. A shrine was built on this site some years later. Almost three hundred years later, Old St. Peter's Basilica
3399-468: The Early Renaissance lantern of Florence Cathedral designed for Brunelleschi's dome by Michelozzo . Bramante had envisioned that the central dome would be surrounded by four lower domes at the diagonal axes. The equal chancel , nave and transept arms were each to be of two bays ending in an apse. At each corner of the building was to stand a tower, so that the overall plan was square, with
3502-717: The Paralytic, the apse with the Chair of Saint Peter , the altar of Saint Peter raising Tabitha , the altar of St. Petronilla, the altar of the Archangel Michael , the altar of the Navicella , the right transept with altars of Saint Erasmus , Saints Processo and Martiniano, and Saint Wenceslas , the altar of St. Jerome, the altar of Saint Basil , the Gregorian Chapel with the altar of the Madonna of Succour,
3605-534: The Vatican , commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I , was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church , held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 1563. The council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, under the rising threat of the Kingdom of Italy encroaching on the Papal States . It opened on 8 December 1869 and
3708-620: The Vatican, hence its name. The object of the council was a mystery for a while. The first revelation was given in February 1869 by an article in La Civiltà Cattolica , a Jesuit periodical. It claimed, as the view of many Catholics in France, that the council would be of very brief duration, since the majority of its members were in agreement, and mentioned inter alia the proclamation of papal infallibility. Factions around
3811-423: The addition of a transept or bema , giving the building the shape of a tau cross . It was over 103.6 metres (340 ft) long, and the entrance was preceded by a large colonnaded atrium . This church had been built over the small shrine believed to mark the burial place of St. Peter , though the tomb was "smashed" in 846 AD . It contained a very large number of burials and memorials, including those of most of
3914-409: The apses projecting at the cardinal points. Each apse had two large radial buttresses, which squared off its semi-circular shape. When Pope Julius died in 1513, Bramante was replaced with Giuliano da Sangallo and Fra Giocondo , who both died in 1515 (Bramante himself having died the previous year). Raphael was confirmed as the architect of St. Peter's on 1 August 1514. The main change in his plan
4017-628: The architecture. The central space is dominated both externally and internally by one of the largest domes in the world. The entrance is through a narthex , or entrance hall, which stretches across the building. One of the decorated bronze doors leading from the narthex is the Holy Door , only opened during jubilees . The interior dimensions are vast when compared to other churches. One author wrote: "Only gradually does it dawn upon us – as we watch people draw near to this or that monument, strangely they appear to shrink; they are, of course, dwarfed by
4120-525: The bones were those of Peter, the rare vestments suggested a burial of great importance. On 23 December 1950, in his pre-Christmas radio broadcast to the world, Pope Pius XII announced the discovery of Saint Peter's tomb . Old St. Peter's Basilica was the fourth-century church begun by the Emperor Constantine the Great between 319 and 333 AD. It was of typical basilical form, a wide nave and two aisles on each side and an apsidal end, with
4223-400: The building into a short nave with a wide façade and portico of dynamic projection. His proposal for the dome was much more elaborate of both structure and decoration than that of Bramante and included ribs on the exterior. Like Bramante, Sangallo proposed that the dome be surmounted by a lantern which he redesigned to a larger and much more elaborate form. Sangallo's main practical contribution
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4326-526: The building of St. Peter's Basilica was the granting of indulgences in return for contributions. A major promoter of this method of fund-raising was Albrecht, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg , who had to clear debts owed to the Roman Curia by contributing to the rebuilding program. To facilitate this, he appointed the German Dominican preacher Johann Tetzel , whose salesmanship provoked
4429-501: The choir had also been built. Pope Julius II planned far more for St Peter's than Nicholas V's program of repair or modification. Julius was at that time planning his own tomb, which was to be designed and adorned with sculpture by Michelangelo and placed within St Peter's. In 1505 Julius made a decision to demolish the ancient basilica and replace it with a monumental structure to house his enormous tomb and "aggrandize himself in
4532-426: The church, which at first did not include the question of papal infallibility, but the majority party in the council, whose position on this matter was much stronger, brought it forward. It was decided to postpone discussion of everything in the draft except infallibility. The decree did not go forward without controversy; Cardinal Filippo Maria Guidi [ it ] , Archbishop of Bologna, proposed adding that
4635-514: The cross are set two lead caskets, one containing a fragment of the True Cross and a relic of St. Andrew and the other containing medallions of the Holy Lamb. In the mid-18th century, cracks appeared in the dome, so four iron chains were installed between the two shells to bind it, like the rings that keep a barrel from bursting. As many as ten chains have been installed at various times,
4738-448: The crypt of the basilica in an area inaccessible since the ninth century. The excavations revealed the remains of shrines of different periods at different levels, from Clement VIII (1594) to Callixtus II (1123) and Gregory I (590–604), built over an aedicula containing fragments of bones that were folded in a tissue with gold decorations, tinted with the precious murex purple. Although it could not be determined with certainty that
4841-434: The divine Redeemer willed his Church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals. None of the bishops who had argued that proclaiming the definition was inopportune refused to accept it. Some Catholics, mainly of German language and largely inspired by the historian Ignaz von Döllinger , formed the separate Old Catholic Church in protest; von Döllinger did not formally join the new group himself. Discussion of
4944-402: The dome to completion in 1590, the last year of the reign of Sixtus V . His successor, Gregory XIV , saw Fontana complete the lantern and had an inscription to the honour of Sixtus V placed around its inner opening. The next pope, Clement VIII , had the cross raised into place, an event which took all day, and was accompanied by the ringing of the bells of all the city's churches. In the arms of
5047-438: The drum and dome, the whole building being pulled together into a unity from base to summit." It is this sense of the building being sculptured, unified and "pulled together" by the encircling band of the deep cornice that led Eneide Mignacca to conclude that the ovoid profile, seen now in the end product, was an essential part of Michelangelo's first (and last) concept. The sculptor/architect has, figuratively speaking, taken all
5150-440: The drum of the dome complete, and Bramante's piers much bulkier than originally designed, each 18 metres (59 ft) across. Following his death, the work continued under his assistant Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola with Giorgio Vasari appointed by Pope Pius V as a watchdog to make sure that Michelangelo's plans were carried out exactly. Despite Vignola's knowledge of Michelangelo's intentions, little happened in this period. In 1585
5253-407: The earliest possibly planned by Michelangelo himself as a precaution, as Brunelleschi did at Florence Cathedral. Around the inside of the dome is written, in letters 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) high: TV ES PETRVS ET SVPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECCLESIAM MEAM ET TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI CAELORVM ("... you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. ... and I will give you the keys of
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#17327649489025356-548: The early years of the Church, been buried near Pope St. Peter in the necropolis beneath the Basilica. Construction of the current basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on 18 April 1506 and finished in 1615. At length, on 18 November 1626 Pope Urban VIII solemnly dedicated the Basilica. St. Peter's Basilica is neither the Pope's official seat nor first in rank among the Major Basilicas of Rome. This honour
5459-581: The earth ... the sublime of the beautiful." St. Peter's Basilica is one of the papal basilicas (previously styled "patriarchal basilicas") and one of the four Major Basilicas of Rome the others (all of which are also Papal Basilicas) being the Basilicas of St. John Lateran , St. Mary Major , and St. Paul outside the Walls . The rank of major basilica confers on St. Peter's Basilica precedence before all minor basilicas worldwide. However, unlike all
5562-463: The effect of creating both vertical and horizontal ribs while lightening the overall load. At the summit is an ocular opening 8 metres (26 ft) across which provides light to the interior. Bramante's plan for the dome of St. Peter's (1506) follows that of the Pantheon very closely, and like that of the Pantheon, was designed to be constructed in Tufa Concrete for which he had rediscovered
5665-460: The energetic Pope Sixtus V appointed Giacomo della Porta who was to be assisted by Domenico Fontana . The five-year reign of Sixtus was to see the building advance at a great rate. Michelangelo left a few drawings, including an early drawing of the dome, and some details. There were also detailed engravings published in 1569 by Stefan du Pérac who claimed that they were the master's final solution. Michelangelo, like Sangallo before him, also left
5768-426: The engraver. The profile of the wooden model is more ovoid than that of the engravings, but less so than the finished product. It has been suggested that Michelangelo on his death bed reverted to the more pointed shape. However, Lees-Milne cites Giacomo della Porta as taking full responsibility for the change and as indicating to Pope Sixtus that Michelangelo was lacking in the scientific understanding of which he himself
5871-623: The errors of rationalism , anarchism , communism , socialism , liberalism , materialism , modernism , naturalism , pantheism , and secularism . Its other concern was the doctrine of the primacy ( supremacy ) and infallibility of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope ), which it defined in the First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ ( Pastor aeternus ). As early as late 1864, Pope Pius IX had commissioned
5974-440: The exception of the details of the lantern, is entirely Gothic, its engineering was highly innovative, and the product of a mind that had studied the huge vaults and remaining dome of Ancient Rome. Sangallo's plan (1513), of which a large wooden model still exists, looks to both these predecessors. He realized the value of both the coffering at the Pantheon and the outer stone ribs at Florence Cathedral. He strengthened and extended
6077-415: The first Bishop of Rome ( Pope ). Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the high altar of the basilica, also known as the Altar of the Confession . For this reason, many popes, cardinals and bishops have been interred at St. Peter's since the Early Christian period. St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout
6180-400: The greatest building of its age. St. Peter's is ranked second, after the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran , amongst the four churches in the world that hold the rank of Major papal basilica , all four of which are in Rome, and is also one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome . Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop. St. Peter's
6283-490: The heart of the basilica, beneath the high altar, is the Confessio or Chapel of the Confession , in reference to the confession of faith by St. Peter, which led to his martyrdom. Two curving marble staircases lead to this underground chapel at the level of the Constantinian church and immediately above the purported burial place of Saint Peter. The entire interior of St. Peter's is lavishly decorated with marble, reliefs, architectural sculpture and gilding. The basilica contains
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#17327649489026386-424: The high prices in Rome. When Lord Houghton asked Cardinal Manning what had been going on, he answered: "Well, we meet, and we look at one another, and then we talk a little, but when we want to know what we have been doing, we read The Times ." Unlike the five earlier general councils held in Rome , which met in the Lateran Basilica and are known as Lateran councils , it met in Saint Peter's Basilica in
6489-430: The huge circular Roman temple, the Pantheon . The main difference between Bramante's design and that of the Pantheon is that where the dome of the Pantheon is supported by a continuous wall, that of the new basilica was to be supported only on four large piers. This feature was maintained in the ultimate design. Bramante's dome was to be surmounted by a lantern with its own small dome but otherwise very similar in form to
6592-474: The ideas of the previous architects. He drew on them in developing a grand vision. Above all, Michelangelo recognized the essential quality of Bramante's original design. He reverted to the Greek Cross and, as Helen Gardner expresses it: "Without destroying the centralising features of Bramante's plan, Michelangelo, with a few strokes of the pen converted its snowflake complexity into massive, cohesive unity." As it stands today, St. Peter's has been extended with
6695-412: The integrated design solution that is about visual tension and compression. In one sense, Michelangelo's dome may appear to look backward to the Gothic profile of Florence Cathedral and ignore the Classicism of the Renaissance, but on the other hand, perhaps more than any other building of the 16th century, it prefigures the architecture of the Baroque . Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana brought
6798-481: The internal arrangement of the three main apses, but otherwise reverted to the Greek Cross plan and other features of Bramante. This plan did not go ahead because of various difficulties of both Church and state. In 1527 Rome was sacked and plundered by Emperor Charles V . Peruzzi died in 1536 without his plan being realized. At this point Antonio da Sangallo the Younger submitted a plan which combines features of Peruzzi, Raphael and Bramante in its design and extends
6901-417: The invitations. The council was summoned by the pope by a bull on 29 June 1868. The first session was held in St. Peter's Basilica on 8 December 1869. Preliminary sessions dealt with general administrative matters and committee assignments. Bishop Bernard John McQuaid complained of rainy weather, inadequate heating facilities, and boredom. Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley of Newark, New Jersey, noted
7004-410: The job with pleasure; it was forced upon him by Pope Paul, frustrated at the death of his chosen candidate, Giulio Romano and the refusal of Jacopo Sansovino to leave Venice . Michelangelo wrote, "I undertake this only for the love of God and in honour of the Apostle." He insisted that he should be given a free hand to achieve the ultimate aim by whatever means he saw fit. Michelangelo took over
7107-588: The larger Chapel of the Holy Sacrament , the Chapel of Saint Sebastian and the Chapel of the Pietà . The Monuments, in a clockwise direction, are to: Maria Clementina Sobieska , The Stuarts , Benedict XV , John XXIII , St. Pius X , Innocent VIII , Leo XI , Innocent XI , Pius VII , Pius VIII , Alexander VII , Alexander VIII , Paul III , Urban VIII , Clement X , Clement XIII , Benedict XIV , St Peter (Bronze Statue), Gregory XVI , Gregory XIV , Gregory XIII , Matilda of Canossa , Innocent XII , Pius XII , Pius XI , Christina of Sweden , and Leo XII . At
7210-410: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vatican_Council&oldid=893935340 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of
7313-406: The name given to Simon by Jesus. ( John 1:42 , and see Matthew 16:18 ) Catholic tradition holds that Peter, after a ministry of thirty-four years, travelled to Rome and met his martyrdom there along with Paul on 13 October 64 AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero . His execution was one of the many martyrdoms of Christians following the Great Fire of Rome . According to Jerome , Peter
7416-639: The new order was that of Joseph H. Reinkens, who was made bishop in Germany by a sympathetic Jansenist bishop Johannes Heykamp of Utrecht . Such new group referred to itself as the Old Catholic Church (or the Christian Catholic Church in Switzerland). Old Catholics in Europe united into the Union of Utrecht in 1889, which entered into full communion with the Anglican Communion in 1931 through
7519-511: The other Papal Major Basilicas, it is wholly within the territory, and thus the sovereign jurisdiction, of the Vatican City State , and not that of Italy. It is the most prominent building in the Vatican City . Its dome is a feature of the skyline of Rome and covers an area of 2.3 hectares (5.7 acres). One of the holiest sites of Christianity and Catholic Tradition, it is traditionally the burial site of its titular, St. Peter , who
7622-507: The outcome would be, and some 60 members of the opposition left Rome so as not to be associated with approval of the document. The final vote, with a choice only between placet and non placet , was taken on 18 July 1870, with 533 votes in favour and only 2 against defining as a dogma the infallibility of the pope when speaking ex cathedra . The two votes in opposition were cast by Bishops Aloisio Riccio and Edward Fitzgerald . The dogmatic constitution states, in chapter 4:9, that
7725-480: The period of the Avignon Papacy , the old basilica had fallen into disrepair. It appears that the first pope to consider rebuilding or at least making radical changes was Pope Nicholas V (1447–1455). He commissioned work on the old building from Leone Battista Alberti and Bernardo Rossellino and also had Rossellino design a plan for an entirely new basilica, or an extreme modification of the old. His reign
7828-455: The peristyle of Bramante into a series of arched and ordered openings around the base, with a second such arcade set back in a tier above the first. In his hands, the rather delicate form of the lantern, based closely on that in Florence, became a massive structure, surrounded by a projecting base, a peristyle and surmounted by a spire of conic form. According to James Lees-Milne the design
7931-432: The pointed dome existed for many years before Brunelleschi made its construction feasible. Its double-shell construction of bricks locked together in a herringbone pattern (re-introduced from Byzantine architecture), and the gentle upward slope of its eight stone ribs made it possible for the construction to take place without the massive wooden formwork necessary to construct hemispherical arches. While its appearance, with
8034-449: The pope has "full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church" (chapter 3:9); and that, when he: speaks ex cathedra , that is, when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church, he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that infallibility which
8137-488: The pope is assisted by "the counsel of the bishops manifesting the tradition of the churches". Pius IX rejected Guidi's view of the bishops as witnesses to the tradition, maintaining: "I am the tradition." On 13 July 1870, a preliminary vote on the section on infallibility was held in a general congregation: 451 voted simply in favour ( placet ), 88 against ( non placet ), and 62 in favour but on condition of some amendment ( placet iuxta modum ). This made evident what
8240-478: The pope), that Republican France took steps to curb it by revoking the Concordat of 1801 , and therefore completely separating the Church from the state . The dogma of papal infallibility raised considerable opposition in some liberal theological circles in the Netherlands , Austria , Germany and Switzerland ; the most notable theologian opposing the formulation of the dogma was Ignaz von Döllinger , who
8343-415: The popes from St. Peter to the 15th century. Like all of the earliest churches in Rome, both this church and its successor had the entrance to the east and the apse at the west end of the building. Since the construction of the current basilica, the name Old St. Peter's Basilica has been used for its predecessor to distinguish the two buildings. By the end of the 15th century, having been neglected during
8446-831: The popular imagination". A competition was held, and a number of the designs have survived at the Uffizi Gallery . A succession of popes and architects followed in the next 120 years, their combined efforts resulting in the present building. The scheme begun by Julius II continued through the reigns of Leo X (1513–1521), Adrian VI (1522–1523), Clement VII (1523–1534), Paul III (1534–1549), Julius III (1550–1555), Marcellus II (1555), Paul IV (1555–1559), Pius IV (1559–1565), Pius V (saint) (1565–1572), Gregory XIII (1572–1585), Sixtus V (1585–1590), Urban VII (1590), Gregory XIV (1590–1591), Innocent IX (1591), Clement VIII (1592–1605), Leo XI (1605), Paul V (1605–1621), Gregory XV (1621–1623), Urban VIII (1623–1644) and Innocent X (1644–1655). One method employed to finance
8549-407: The previous designs in hand and compressed their contours as if the building were a lump of clay. The dome must appear to thrust upwards because of the apparent pressure created by flattening the building's angles and restraining its projections. If this explanation is the correct one, then the profile of the dome is not merely a structural solution, as perceived by Giacomo della Porta; it is part of
8652-549: The proposal arose across Europe, and some Italians even proposed setting up a rival council in Naples . However, before the council met all became quiet in view of the studied vagueness of the invitation. Pope Pius defined as dogma the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus , in 1854. However, the proposal to define papal infallibility itself as dogma met with resistance, not because of doubts about
8755-521: The rest of the document on the nature of the church was to continue when the bishops returned after a summer break. In the meanwhile, the Franco-Prussian War broke out. With the swift German advance and the capture of Emperor Napoleon III , French troops protecting papal rule in Rome withdrew from the city. On 20 October 1870, one month after the newly founded Kingdom of Italy had occupied Rome , Pope Pius IX, who then considered himself
8858-400: The scale of everything in the building. This in its turn overwhelms us." The nave which leads to the central dome is in three bays, with piers supporting a barrel vault, the highest of any church. The nave is framed by wide aisles which have a number of chapels off them. There are also chapels surrounding the dome. Moving around the basilica in a clockwise direction they are: The Baptistery ,
8961-482: The spire at the top of the lantern, as proposed by Sangallo. A drawing by Michelangelo indicates that his early intentions were towards an ovoid dome, rather than a hemispherical one. In an engraving in Galasso Alghisi ' treatise (1563), the dome may be represented as ovoid, but the perspective is ambiguous. Stefan du Pérac's engraving (1569) shows a hemispherical dome, but this was perhaps an inaccuracy of
9064-405: The substance of the proposed definition, but because some considered it inopportune to take that step at that time. Richard McBrien divides the bishops attending Vatican I into three groups. The first group, which McBrien calls the "active infallibilists", was led by Henry Edward Manning and Ignatius von Senestrey . According to McBrien, the majority of the bishops were not so much interested in
9167-452: The year both within the basilica or the adjoining St. Peter's Square ; these liturgies draw audiences numbering from 15,000 to over 80,000 people. St. Peter's has many historical associations, with the early Christian Church , the Papacy , the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation and numerous artists, especially Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as
9270-458: Was "too eclectic, too pernickety and too tasteless to have been a success". Michelangelo redesigned the dome in 1547, taking into account all that had gone before. His dome, like that of Florence , is constructed of two shells of brick, the outer one having 16 stone ribs, twice the number at Florence but far fewer than in Sangallo's design. As with the designs of Bramante and Sangallo, the dome
9373-610: Was a gift from Charles the Bald and used by many popes, symbolizes the continuing line of apostolic succession from St. Peter to the reigning Pope. It occupies an elevated position in the apse of the Basilica, supported symbolically by the Doctors of the Church and enlightened symbolically by the Holy Spirit . As one of the constituent structures of the historically and architecturally significant Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica
9476-614: Was adjourned on 20 September 1870 after the Italian Capture of Rome . Its best-known decision is its definition of papal infallibility . The council's main purpose was to clarify Catholic doctrine in response to the rising influence of the modern philosophical trends of the 19th century. In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith ( Dei Filius ), the council condemned what it considered
9579-432: Was capable. Helen Gardner suggests that Michelangelo made the change to the hemispherical dome of lower profile in order to establish a balance between the dynamic vertical elements of the encircling giant order of pilasters and a more static and reposeful dome. Gardner also comments, "The sculpturing of architecture [by Michelangelo] ... here extends itself up from the ground through the attic stories and moves on into
9682-410: Was completed on 18 November 1626. Designed principally by Donato Bramante , Michelangelo , and Carlo Maderno , with piazza and fittings by Gian Lorenzo Bernini , St. Peter's is one of the most renowned works of Italian Renaissance architecture and is the largest church in the world by interior measure. While it is neither the mother church of the Catholic Church nor the cathedral of
9785-423: Was conceived, from the outset, as the greatest dome of Christendom . The dome of the Pantheon stands on a circular wall with no entrances or windows except a single door. The whole building is as high as it is wide. Its dome is constructed in a single shell of concrete , made light by the inclusion of a large amount of the volcanic stones tuff and pumice. The inner surface of the dome is deeply coffered which has
9888-440: Was constructed over this site. The area now covered by the Vatican City had been a cemetery for some years before the Circus of Nero was built. It was a burial ground for the numerous executions in the Circus and contained many Christian burials as for many years after the burial of Saint Peter , many Christians chose to be buried near him. In 1939, in the reign of Pope Pius XII, 10 years of archaeological research began under
9991-522: Was crucified head downwards, by his own request because he considered himself unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. The crucifixion took place near an ancient Egyptian obelisk in the Circus of Nero . The obelisk now stands in St. Peter's Square and is revered as a "witness" to Peter's death. It is one of several ancient Obelisks of Rome . According to tradition, Peter's remains were buried just outside
10094-541: Was excommunicated in 1871 by Archbishop Gregor von Scherr of Munich and Freising , for refusing to accept the council's decision. Following the council's decision, a minority of clergy and laity opposed to the newly proclaimed dogma united with the Jansenists , which had maintained a somewhat precarious existence in separation from Rome since the 18th century but had preserved an episcopal succession recognized by Rome as valid though illicit . The first consecration of
10197-629: Was formed in 2008 and currently includes the Polish National Catholic Church and the Nordic Catholic Church . St. Peter%27s Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( Italian : Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano ), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( Latin : Basilica Sancti Petri ; Italian: Basilica di San Pietro [baˈziːlika di sam ˈpjɛːtro] ),
10300-470: Was frustrated by political problems and when he died, little had been achieved. He had, however, ordered the demolition of the Colosseum and by the time of his death, 2,522 cartloads of stone had been transported for use in the new building. The foundations were completed for a new transept and choir to form a domed Latin cross with the preserved nave and side aisles of the old basilica. Some walls for
10403-463: Was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 under criteria (i), (ii), (iv), and (vi). With an exterior area of 21,095 square metres (227,060 sq ft), an interior area of 15,160 square metres (163,200 sq ft), St. Peter's Basilica is the largest Christian church building in the world by the two latter metrics and the second largest by the first as of 2016 . The top of its dome, at 448.1 feet (136.6 m), also places it as
10506-570: Was the head of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, the first Bishop of Antioch and later the first Bishop of Rome , rendering him the first Pope . Although the New Testament does not mention St. Peter's martyrdom in Rome, tradition, based on the writings of the Fathers of the Church , holds that his tomb is below the baldachin and the altar of the Basilica in the "Confession". For this reason, many Popes have, from
10609-509: Was to strengthen Bramante's piers which had begun to crack. On 1 January 1547 in the reign of Pope Paul III, Michelangelo, then in his seventies, succeeded Sangallo the Younger as "Capomaestro", the superintendent of the building program at St Peter's. He is to be regarded as the principal designer of a large part of the building as it stands today, and as bringing the construction to a point where it could be carried through. He did not take on
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