St Peter's Basilica

It was built between 1506 and 1626 over Constantine's basilica, which in turn stood over the tomb of the apostle Peter. Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, who designed the dome, and Bernini, who made the bronze canopy and the square with its 284 columns, all worked on it.

Just inside on the right is the Pietà that Michelangelo carved at 24, now behind glass. It is the only work he ever signed, on the sash across the Virgin's chest. Beneath the floor are the grottoes with the tombs of popes.