The Slow Road
Two Women Wandering the World
St. Peter's Basilica, seat of the Roman Catholic Church, dominates tiny Vatican City. There are also office buildings, papal apartments, an ancient Egyptian obelisk, and vast museums.
Tens of thousands of tourists visit St. Peter's every day
The soaring space of of the basilica somehow swallows up the crowds
Huge statues of the founders of Catholic orders line the main hall of St. Peters
A vast bronze canopy by Bernini marks the spot where St. Peter is supposedly buried
The bees on Bernini's canopy are the symbol of the papal Barbarini family
Michaelangelo's famous Pieta
Castel Sant'Angelo, originally Emperor Hadrian's mausoleum
The Swiss Guard have provided security for the Vatican for centuries
Courtyard of the Vatican Museums, with the dome of St. Peter's in the background
Raphael's 1520 "Transfiguration" in the Vatican Museums
Detail of a Raphael painting
Detail of Raphael's "Madonna of Foglino"
Caravaggio's luminous and lifelike "Descent from the Cross"
Painting by Raphael in the private study of Pope Julius II
Detail of Raphael's paintings in the private study of Pope Julius II
The most famous panel of Michaelangelo's 1508 frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
Michaelangelo's wonderful Sistine Chapel ceiling
Michaelangelo's "Last Judgment" on the front wall of the Sistine Chapel
One of the beautiful Renaissance paintings on the walls of the Sistine Chapel
