www.stuardtclarkesrome.com
Michelangelo's
Dome looking up from the main floor of the Basilica
Michelangelo's final
masterpiece, the Dome of St. Peter, has a diameter of about 43 meters (141
feet). It rests on
massive arches which
stand atop four gigantic piers, each with a perimeter of 71 meters (232
feet). The drum and its 16 windows
were in place when
Michelangelo died on Feb. 18, 1564. Giacomo della Porta finished
construction of the actual dome,
raising it an additional
10 meters. It is now 136 meters (446 feet) above the Basilica floor
level. The mosaic decorations
were completed later,
following designs of Cavalier d'Arpino.
Photo: Stuardt-Mikhail Clarke