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Nach der Liberalisierung der christlichen Religion in Folge des berühmten mailändischen Edikts 313 n.Chr. , ließ Kaiser Konstantin 324 mit dem Bau einer großen Kirche beginnen. Diese wies fünf Schiffe sowie Transept und Apsis auf, in deren Zentrum sich das Grabmal des Hl. Petrus befand.
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After formally recognizing the Christian religion with the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine started construction of a great church around 324. The church had a nave and four aisles, a transept and an apse, at the centre of which the tomb of Peter was placed. Stairs and a four-sided portico for the non-baptized completed the structure. In the meantime Nero’s circus was gradually falling into ruin, partly because many of its stones were used to build the new church, which was rapidly becoming a new attraction in Rome. Some years later, in memory of Peter, Leo IV (847-855) built the first walls of the "civitas" which derived its name "Leonina" from him and which became the spiritual centre of medieval and renaissance Rome. Although the popes resided in the Lateran Palace during the Middle Ages, some buildings were built at that time in the area near St Peter’s. The first of these was constructed under the pontificates of Eugene III (1145-1153) and Innocent III (1198-1216). These were then enlarged in the late 12th-early 13th century when the Leonine Walls were also restored. In 1309 the papal court was moved to Avignon. Rome and St Peter’s were abandoned for over a century. Although the popes returned to Rome in 1377, another fifty years passed before the city regained its former lustre. The possibility of completely rebuilding St Peter’s was first broached in the mid-15th century. Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455) had the architect Bernardo Rossellino draw up plans for enlarging the Basilica, adding on an apse more prominent than the Constantinian one. The project had to be abandoned a few years later, when the Turks started to advance and Constantinople fell. Between 1477 and 1480 Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1492) started building a great chapel, named "Sistina" after him, decorated with frescoes painted by the major Italian painters of the time. It was inaugurated on 15th August 1483. Great changes were introduced by Julius II (1503-1513), who radically transformed the small city. He started to pull down the Constantinian basilica, began work on the new Saint Peter’s, and built the famous Belvedere Courtyard. His intention was to connect the small Palace of Belvedere, which was constructed by his predecessor Innocent VIII (1484-1492) and which stood to the north of the courtyard, with the cluster of medieval buildings to the south. Pope Julius also summoned Raphael and Michelangelo to Rome, asking them, respectively, to fresco the papal apartments and t
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Le pape Nicolas V (1447-1455) demanda à l’architecte Bernardo Rossellino un projet d’agrandissement de la basilique, qui comprenait une nouvelle abside, plus saillante que l’abside constantinienne : celle-ci ne put pas être achevée parce que, quelques années plus tard, l’avancée des Turcs et la chute de Constantinople empêchèrent la continuation des travaux. Entre 1477 et 1480, le pape Sixte IV (1471-1484) commença la construction d’une grande chapelle qui prit son nom et devint la Chapelle Sixtine : décorée de fresques par les plus grands peintres italiens de l’époque, elle fut inaugurée le 15 août 1483. Jules II (1503-1513) procéda ensuite à d’importantes transformations, qui modifièrent radicalement cette citadelle. Il commença par faire détruire la basilique de Constantin, pour entamer la construction d’une nouvelle basilique Saint-Pierre ; il commanda la célèbre Cour du Belvédère qui devait relier le petit Palais du Belvédère de son prédécesseur Innocent VIII (1484-1492), au nord, aux édifices médiévaux situés au sud ; c’est lui qui appela à Rome Raphaël et Michel-Ange pour qu’ils décorent de fresques, l’un les appartements du pape, l’autre la Chapelle Sixtine. D’autres travaux ancore furent réalisés au cours de ce siècle : après diverses vicissitudes, à la moitié du XVIe siècle, Michel-Ange dessine les plans et commence la partie centrale de la basilique Saint-Pierre, que Giacomo Della Porta couvrira d’une immense coupole ‘voûtée’. C’est Maderno qui, au début du XVIIe siècle, agrandira l’église en ajoutant deux travées à la partie longitudinale ; puis, à la moitié du XVIIe siècle, le Bernin va l’achever et lui donner l’aspect baroque que nous lui connaissons aujourd’hui, car en concevant cette place grandiose, délimitée par deux hémicycles formés de quatre rangées de colonnes, il va relier ce lieu de prière au reste de la ville.
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Il papa Niccolò V (1447-1455) fece redigere dall’architetto Bernardo Rossellino un progetto di ampliamento della Basilica, con una nuova abside sporgente rispetto a quella costantiniana: essa fu soltanto avviata perché, qualche anno dopo, l’avanzata dei turchi e la caduta di Costantinopoli comportarono l’abbandono dell’opera. Fra il 1477 e il 1480 il papa Sisto IV (1471-1484) diede avvio alla costruzione di una grande cappella, che da lui prese il nome di Sistina: decorata con affreschi dei maggiori pittori italiani del momento, fu inaugurata il 15 agosto del 1483. Grandi cambiamenti furono realizzati da Giulio II (1503-1513), che trasformò radicalmente la cittadella: avviò la demolizione della Basilica costantiniana, diede inizio ai lavori per il nuovo San Pietro, e costruì il famoso Cortile del Belvedere per collegare il Palazzetto del Belvedere del suo predecessore Innocenzo VIII (1484-1492) a nord con il nucleo degli edifici medioevali a sud; chiamò inoltre a Roma Raffaello e Michelangelo per affrescare rispettivamente gli appartamenti papali e la Cappella Sistina. Altri lavori furono effettuati nel corso dello stesso secolo: la Basilica di San Pietro, che dopo alterne vicende venne progettata e iniziata nel nucleo centrale da Michelangelo a metà del XVI secolo, fu coperta con una grandiosa cupola "voltata" da Giacomo Della Porta. La chiesa venne poi ampliata dal Maderno nei primi anni del Seicento con l’aggiunta di due campate nel braccio longitudinale, e completata dal Bernini, a metà del XVII secolo, con la grandiosa piazza delimitata dai due emicicli di quadruplici file di colonne che le conferì l’attuale aspetto barocco, collegando questo luogo di preghiera con il resto della città.
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