I miss Italy...St. Peter's Basillica

There were moments when we walked into holy site that I truly felt like the presence of God was there, Beaming down on us...shedding light on hearts and minds.

Just looking up and seeing such grandeur, such beauty, such splendor and all created by man's hand. Truly breath taking.

 GOLD!
The COLOR!
The CROOK in my neck as you spend so much time trying to take in each detail of the ceiling frescoes.
The SCULPTURES!
THE MARBLE!

This is the dome behind the altar area. This altar area is meant for only the Pope to walk around. The altar is above the crypt believed to be the rest place of St. Peter.

 This is the crypt and tomb of St. Peter underneath the altar under the above mentioned dome.

T

Can you feel it? Captivating. Breath taking. Feeling the overwhelming awesomeness of it all...

The Pieta.

Gorgeous and full of haunting detail. 

I had forgotten a little about this sculpture. My research found, "The Pietà (1498–1499) is a world-famous work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. It is the first of a number of works of the same theme by the artist. The statue was commissioned for the French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères, who was a representative in Rome. The sculpture, in Carrara marble, was made for the cardinal's funeral monument, but was moved to its current location, the first chapel on the right as one enters the basilica, in the 18th century. It is the only piece Michelangelo ever signed."
"This famous work of art depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion. The theme is of Northern origin, popular by that time in France but not yet in Italy. Michelangelo's interpretation of the Pietà is unprecedented in Italian sculpture. It is an important work as it balances the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with naturalism."

Sculpting of the work took less than two years. When you see this in person, it is hard to comprehend this information. It is so detailed and beautiful that to think that two years brought this...such a short time for something so breathtaking.
But this sculpture is not wont for tragedy. The most substantial damage occurred on May 21, 1972, when a mentally disturbed geologist named Laszlo Toth walked into the chapel and attacked the sculpture with a geologist's hammer while shouting "I am Jesus Christ!" Onlookers took many of the pieces of marble that flew off. Later, some pieces were returned, but many were not, including Mary's nose, which had to be reconstructed from a block cut out of her back. After the attack, the work was painstakingly restored and returned to its place in St. Peter's and is now protected by a bulletproof acrylic glass panel, which is how we saw it. Believe me, the glass does not deter from the gorgeousness.

YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL CATHEDRAL!!! It is so awe-inspiring. I want to go back!!!