Saturday, October 10, 2009

The Tempietto

Here is truly a beautiful little chapel. It is called the Tempietto and sits within a courtyard of San Pietro in Montorio.

This chapel is very tiny. Look at Paul and Elizabeth in the photo for a comparison. It is perfectly round and you could probably only fit about a dozen people comfortably inside it. In fact, it is the same size as just the lantern on the top of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica and it could fit through the oculus in the roof of the Pantheon!



For those of you studying Catholicism, the Tempietto was built to mark the spot where St. Peter was crucified. You can see the carving on the altar that shows the crucifixion in the second photo. Now many of you are thinking, "Wait a minute! I thought that is why they built St. Peter's Basilica!" You are correct! There was some confusion when they translated the information about St. Peter's crucifixion. By the time they discovered their mistake, the Tempietto was already done.

The third photo shows the intricated patterns in the mosaic floor as well as the grate that lets light into the grotto below the chapel. It is a beautiful place!

-Terri

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