St Peter’s Basilica: 2000 years of Christianity in Rome
St Peter’s Basilica: 2000 years of Christianity in Rome
Lecturer: Stuart Harvey
Join professional Rome tourist guide Stuart Harvey for a journey through 2000 years of Christianity as we explore the art and history of the spectacular St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Its origins take us back to the tradition that St Peter was crucified upside-down by the Emperor Nero and buried in the nearby necropolis. The original basilica built by Constantine was rebuilt in the 1500s to designs by Michelangelo and decorated in the 1600s under the great baroque master Gianlorenzo Bernini, who also designed the sweeping colonnades of St Peter’s Square, where the Pope gives a weekly audience to the faithful.
Stuart Harvey is a “History and Art Communicator” of 30 years’ experience. He is a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide (he qualified in 1998 and was awarded “New Guide of the Year”) and is also a “Guida Turistica Abilitata della Provincia di Roma” (Stuart qualified in 2010). He has worked in educational tourism since 1992, leading study tours all over Europe. Living in Rome since 2003, Stuart has developed a great love for the Eternal City and its many treasures. In addition to his primary career as full-time Rome tourist guide, Stuart’s entertaining and lively lectures and virtual tours bring the rich artistic and historical wealth of Rome’s 28 centuries to life for people all over the world.