[Vatican] Visit St. Peter’s Square
The piazza is built at the site where St Peter was killed. Emperor Constantine originally built a church over the site of the grave but it was later rebuilt and made into the Basilica and square we know today.
Sitting above the colonnade are 140 statues, each representing saints, that watch over the square. Though all of these installations are impressive, the most evident is the obelisk at the very heart of the square. Standing at 25 meters high, this phenomenal piece of rock was carried from Egypt to Rome in 37 AD by Emperor Caligula and was erected as part of a horse-racing circus. When it was first erected, it was not a religious symbol but a feature of a Roman Emperor. It was moved to St Peter’s square in 1586.