Comments on: The Quick 10: 10 Facts About St. Peter’s Basilica

By: Basilica | Smartkit Puzzles and Brain Teasers

Basilica | Smartkit Puzzles and Brain Teasers — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:09:46 +0000

[...] Above: a neat bird’s eye view of Rome from the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. This church, inside Vatican City, is the largest church ever constructed. For 10 quick interesting facts on the Basilica, check out what Mental Floss has to say [...]

By: JMac

JMac — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:51:00 +0000

How wild! I just got back from Rome less than two weeks ago. Visiting St. Peter’s was definitely a highlight… it seriously made me wish my eyes were bigger so I could take in more.

However, it did make my little Catholic heart sad that with all the people hungry in the world, the leaders of the Church have so much wealth and no desire to spread it around.

By: Abram

Abram — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:35:00 +0000

The skeleton coming out from under drapery is the tomb of Alexander VII, by Bernini. The skeleton is Death and the thing in his hand is an hourglass. If you click on my name it’s a link to a Flickr page of images of the sculpture.

The women on the left is Charity and the woman on the right is Truth. I forget who the women in the back are, though I think one is Justice.

By: FrLemur

FrLemur — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:30:00 +0000

There’s this wicked cool statue inside the Vatican kind of across from the famous St. Peter one. And it really has nothing to do with the actual statue that makes it amazing.

I believe the statue is of Mary, doing what, I cannot remember. But she is standing on top of this wave of marble. Attached to the marble is this bronze cast skeleton (sans the head) with angel wings holding a lantern!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:09:00 +0000

I have a question about St Peter’s. I visited it over 12 years ago and I’m not sure if this is right or whether I dreamed the whole morbid affair, but could someone tell me if there really is a flying cloaked skeleton coming out of a wall somewhere in the back of the cathedral over a door?

If so, What the heck does that mean?

It was been picking my brain since I saw it and I would really like to find out the truth.

Many thanks.

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:46:00 +0000

I went through all four Jubilee doors at the Basilicas of Rome during the 2000 Jubilee. I was in town for World Youth Day (a giant Mass with about one million people presided over by the Pope). Each basilica (St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s outside the walls, St. Maria Maggiore and St. John Lateran) had one. So basically, all the little sins I had committed through the age of 19 were wiped away.

As far as the “get our jail free card” idea of indulgences, we took our walks through the Jubilee doors seriously. The entire trip was this incredible spiritual pilgrimage — I earned those walks through the doors.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:52:00 +0000

I also visited the scavi a few years ago. I came across the info by accident when researching my trip – it was not included in any travel book I saw. My daughter and a couple friends ordered tickets on line and had no problem getting them. It was definitely the best thing we did in Rome and Rome is full of amazing things! We also did the climb to the roof – a tradition for my daughter and me to climb church domes and bell towers. Great view of St Peters square and all of Vatican City!!

By: Brad

Brad — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:46:00 +0000

Indulgences very recently came back into practice. These are probably not like the indulgences a lot of people learned about because you can no longer pay money for an indulgence. Well, you were never supposed to… but it happened… a lot.

By: Ellie

Ellie — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:34:00 +0000

I went there during Spring Break!
You’re not allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel.

By: Carrie Belle

Carrie Belle — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:34:00 +0000

The prophecy of popes is St. Malachy’s Prophecy. Check the link on my name to hit the Catholic Pages description and the prophecy itself.