The Welcoming Arms of St. Peter's

St. Peter's, Vatican City, Rome
Picture taken by Cava H.

Colonnade of St. Peter's piazza, Vatican City, Rome
Picture taken by Cava H.

The energy of the Counter-Reformation was evident in the architecture of the 17^th century as several popes rebuilt Rome to showcase the power of the Catholic Church. In 1625, Gianlorenzo Bernini received a commission from Pope Urban VIII to design the piazza in front of St. Peter's in Rome. An obelisk brought from Egypt by the ancient Romans and a fountain constructed by Maderno in front of the church had to be incorporated into Bernini's design. Bernini designed two colonnades made up of four rows of huge Tuscan columns. The colonnades terminate in classical temple fronts. The colonnades symbolize the welcoming arms of the Roman Catholic Church and create a dramatic gesture of embrace to all who enter the piazza. The scale and theatricality of St. Peter's served the Catholic Church's desire to reestablish its authority. In contrast to the orderly rationality of Renaissance art, St. Peter's showcases the dramatic, theatrical, and elaborate style of Baroque art and architecture.