Episode 309 - Bernini and St. Peter’s Square

In 1656, Gian Lorenzo Bernini was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII to design and build an appropriate forecourt to the Basilica of St. Peter, known as Piazza San Pietro (“St. Peter’s Square”). The resulting space is one of the greatest triumphs of Baroque architecture, combining a trapezoidal space joining the façade of the basilica to Bernini’s massive Doric order colonnades. St. Peter’s Square is still one of the world’s most famous piazzas.