Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's

The writing in this book is fantastic. I have recommended it to all of my friends who are going to visit the Vatican. In fact, I'm re-reading it now for an upcoming trip. The writing is engaging, and the analysis of the import, and impact of this one building ... how it has done so much to change much of the world, is incredible. I highly recommend this book.

I've read this book cover to cover at least 3 times. For me it is very well written, informative and fascinating. I've been to St Peter's a number of times and relate the complexity of the construction to what the final product reveals. The ingenuity of the architects and builders in a world that had yet fully understood the laws of physics as applied to construction is astounding. And integral to the story is the corruption of the Renaissance papacy as it applied to the planning and construction of the Basilica. I would love to see this book turned into a miniseries - corruption of the church, artistic giants such as Michelangelo and Raphael and the impossible task of constructing this monument build a compelling visual story

This was a Book Club selection that we recently read and all loved. The history of St Peter's, both old and new, is really fascinating. Even though it is a fact packed book the writing style is very approachable.My only complaint with the book was that when I got to the book club meeting to discuss the book I found out that the paperback book has lots of photos and these were not in the Kindle version. Really, I could have gotten the paperback cheaper and I would have gotten more by getting to see some of the images. There are two Kindle readers in our group and we were more than a little miffed about this exclusion from our books.I say, it's a great read but make it even better and buy the paperback so you can get even more information (i.e. the pictures). I would have even been happy with the Kindle's not-so-great photo rendering.

This book looks into the people behind the ideas, financing & painting at St. Peter's and their interactions throughs the construction. Even though it's not what I wanted, it's a good read with a lot of really interesting facts.I wanted something describing the actual construction and how they managed to physically build this without modern equipment. Standing inside St. Peter's looking up I was blown away by the sheer size of the building constructed so long ago. Hopefully someone can put me on the trail of the book I'm looking for.

R.A Scotti has turned her fiction writing skills to producing the biography of the construction of St. Peter's Cathedral. St. Peter's is so famous and so omnipresent as an image or a backdrop that its true history has been forgotten or at least overlooked by most people. Basilica demonstrates that the story of the construction of the cathedral is as enthralling as the building itself.St. Peter's was begun in the early 1500s at the height of the High Renaissance. It was constructed in fits and starts, with many different architects and under the eye of 18 different Popes, throughout the turbulent 16th century, fought over, abandoned, used as a stable, and revived time and time again. Its original plan was modified, sometimes as an improvement and sometimes not, many times, so that the final structure barely looks like the original architect's sketches. Enormously expensive, St. Peter's required only the finest materials and the highest technology available. Its cost was a contributing cause of the Protestant Reformation, and its different stages of construction were affected by the see-saw of political and religious changes in Europe.I enjoyed Scotti's descriptions of the different building techniques and methods that were used throughout St. Peter's construction, but I felt that the best parts of Basilica were the short biographies of the different popes, architects, artists, and politicians who had an part to play in the building process. Bramante, Julius II, Michelangelo, Bernini, and many others now seem like real people, not just names in a history book. And that's an accomplishment as valuable as any of the treasures to be found within St. Peter's Basilica.

Scotti, a most thorough scholar, has written an informative and easily readable book on the history and building of St. Peter's. Clear explanations, drawings, photos and juicy details make this a very human story. Understandable to the novice in art history, it will also enhance the knowledge of even an expert on Renaissance work. It's a gem and I highly recommend it - especially for anyone lucky enough to be on their way to Rome.

Saint Peter's Basilica is at once a magnificent place of worship and a symbol of both the best and worst in the hearts, minds and souls of its human designers. A wondrous architectural and engineering achievement, the logistics and financial excesses and abuses contributed in no small way to the fracturing of the Catholic Church, sparking the Protestant Reformation and leading to the counter-Reformation at the Council of Trent.BASILICA chronicles the story of this unique structure, spanning decades of human tumult and artistic controversy. Author R.A. Scotti (whose works include the fascinating SUDDEN SEA: THE GREAT HURRICANE OF 1938) offers the reader a lively portrayal of the strategies and machinations of artists, clerics, politicians and others. BASILICA is filled with gripping drama, expansive egos, and enough plot twists to keep the reader engaged the 320-some pages.Some of the reviews, particular those from "scholars," refer to historical inaccuracies. As I am not a Renaissance scholar, I cannot comment upon them. The only complaint that I would have about the book is when the author editorializes on the Catholic faith itself. Although infrequent, these criticisms seem to be based on issues other than the subject matter of the book. Nevertheless, the book provides a fascinating look into the [arguably] crowing achievement of Renaissance architecture.