Heart of the Catholic Church, Largest Basilica in the World, and Burial Place of St. Peter

The first Basilica of St. Peter was built by the Emperor Constantine between 319 and 333 A.D. It had been in use for almost 1,200 years when in 1506 Pope Julius II began construction of the current basilica on the foundations of the old. It would not be completed until 1615, under Pope Paul V. Its design features a three-aisle Latin cross with a high altar at the cross-section where Michelangelo’s dome and Bernini’s Baldacchino mark the place of St. Peter’s tomb and relics.

On the first day of the 2025 Jubilee Year, Pope Francis will knock on the Holy Door and open it for the pilgrims to enter. Cardinal Virgilio Noè explains the Jubilee Holy Door in his book The Holy Door in St. Peter’s. “The message the Holy Door gives to those who, after reflecting before it, cross the threshold and enter the Basilica, is part of the essence of the Gospel: it is the message of God’s mercy bending over man’s misery.”

Thus, the “sixteen panels of the door are like the verses of a hymn, which sing of God’s infinite mercy. They start from the reality of sin, which degrades man, and move to penance which rehabilitates him. They enlighten every moment of any situation with the certainty of divine forgiveness.”