When Rome was decimated by the Great Fire of 64 CE, the emperor Nero, desperate for a scapegoat, blamed the disaster on the emerging Christian community. Among those who perished in his circus executions was St Peter. Christ’s disciple and the first Bishop of Rome. After three centuries of struggle, the Christians were finally granted their freedom under Constantine, who went on to build a magnificent basilica on St Peter’s tomb.
However, by 1500, after numerous sackings and calamities, the once-magnificent basilica lay in ruin, and Pope Julius II decided it was time to replace it with an even more spectacular building. Under the direction of architect Donato Bramante, the old walls were spectacularly pulled down, and a new foundation stone laid in 1506. Bramante designed his basilica in the form of a Greek Cross, and began excavating and erecting four structural piers to support the dome.