Title	Basilica of St. Peter
Description	William Strickland's watercolor sketch of the Basilica of St. Peter, Rome.
Historical note	In 1838, Strickland began a tour of Europe. Throughout his travels, he made some sketches, but the majority of his drawings were done in Rome, where everything interested him and aroused his curiosity. He sketched Roman antiquities, medieval towers and Renaissance St. Peter's. His impressions of this visit to Rome appeared in a series of eleven articles which were published in the Nashville Daily Orthopolitan in 1846. He was critical of popes as architects and of archaeological legends. Strickland left Rome in mid-April 1838, traveling north through Italy and Germany. The Basilica of St. Peter ranks second among the four major basilicas of Rome. It is the most prominent building inside the Vatican City. Possibly the largest church in Christianity, it covers an area of 5.7 acres and has a capacity of over 60,000 people. One of the holiest sites in Christendom, it is, traditionally, the burial site of St. Peter, first Bishop of Rome. Construction of the basilica began on April 18, 1506, and was completed in 1626.
Date	1838
Place	Rome (Italy)
Creator	Strickland, William, 1787-1854
Collection name	William Strickland Sketchbook, 1838
Subject	Monuments & Memorials Basilicas Popes Domes
Accession number	2005-014
Owning Institution	Tennessee State Library & Archives
ID#	32926
Digital type	Still Image
Format	Image/jp2
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