-Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano - or simply Saint Peter`s Basilica is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal enclave which is within the city of Rome. St. Peter`s is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year both within the basilica or the adjoining St. Peter`s Square; these liturgies draw audiences numbering from 15,000 to over 80,000 people. St. Peter`s has many historical associations, with the Early Christian Church, the Papacy, the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-reformation and numerous artists, especially Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. St. Peter`s is one of the four churches in the world that hold the rank of major basilica, all four of which are in Rome. Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop; the cathedra of the pope as Bishop of Rome is at Saint John Lateran. Vatican, Europe.
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