Saint Peter's Square
Saint Peter's Square is a large plaza, allowing 300K people, located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
At the center of the "square" is the Vatican obelisk, an ancient Egyptian obelisk. A granite fountain constructed by Bernini in 1675 matches another fountain designed by Carlo Maderno.
Bernini designed the square, including the trapezium shaped colonnades connecting to the oval shaped part of the "square" of massive 284 Doric colonnades, 16 m. high, 4 columns deep, supporting 140 statues, 3 m. high, which embrace visitors in "the maternal arms of the Mother Church".
The Obelisk in the center "witnessed the crucifixion of Peter".
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On the "oval-shaped square" are two places that are marked on the central axis from where the rows of 4 colonades become one. See above.
The entire outdoors has the shape of a huge "Key Hole":
To unlock the "M-Dim. Portal" to St. Peter's Basilica:
"the hollow shaft of St. Peter's M-Dim. Key"
will go over the Obelisk that witnessed
St. Peter's crucifixion in 64 AD.
Emperor Caligula had the Obelisk shipped from Egypt to Rome in 40 AD, and placed at the center of the Circus of Nero, the site of crucifixions of Christians and St. Peter, which is now mostly situated in Vatican City. The circus fell into disuse and became part of the adjacent necropolis.
Excavation of the Vatican hill and creation of a 7 mtr retainer wall and plateau over the existing necropolis, allowed for the construction of the first basilica over Peter's grave in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine:
Lowering and transporting the 25 mtr Egyptian Obelisk over 300 mtr, and then erecting it again in 1586, while a new basilica and square was constructed:
900 men + 44 horses + 40 winches, using 2ft thick hemp ropes:
A wooden crane machine was designed and constructed for this job
15th century Passetto di Borgo: a safe 3 km long,
8m. high, 2.5m. thick wall, covered/uncovered passageways,
from St Peter's Basilica to the Fortress of Castel St Angelo.