Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

Published in an English and an Italian edition on the occasion of the Jubilee in the year 2000, this important work documents in detail the largest and most revered church in Christendom, illustrating both the exterior (the colonnade, the piazza, the facade, the external perimeter, the dome) and the interior, with the funerary monuments of the popes, the mosaics, the altars, the Baldequin by Bernini and the celebrated Pieta by Michelangelo.For the first time there is full coverage not only of the Sacred Grottoes but of many areas inaccessible to the public, such as the Hall of Benedictions, the Sacristy, and the Octagons above the corner-chapels. Texts by M. Beltramini, S. Benedetti, I. Buonazia, F. Caglioti, L. Capitani, M. Carta, C. Franzoni, A. Galli, M. Gani, M. L. Gualandi, M. Hirst, I. Jones, I. Lavin, E. Levy, L. Marcucci, A. Monciatti, T. Montanari, S. F. Ostrow, A. Pinelli, A. M. Riccomini, A. Roca De Amicis, C. Savettieri, M. Spagnolo, A. Sperandio, B. Torresi, M. Zalum, M. O. Zander and P. Zander. Photographs by A. Angeli, M. Falcioni, G. Marcucci and M. Napoli. "Mirabilia Italia" is a unique series. It owes its existence to an innovative and ambitious project: an atlas of the great monuments of Italy that will display them in all their details, from the best known to the least.This series represents a completely new way of documenting art. "Mirabilia Italia" provides a guided tour of each monument, fully and accurately explained. Each atlas contains hundreds of colour photographs, arranged in a precise topographical sequence and accompanied by diagrams showing the exact location of each detail. The atlas is complemented by a volume of texts edited by the premier scholars in the field, consisting of critical essays and descriptive notes. Essays examine the monument from the art-historical point of view, and record the alterations it has undergone over time. Descriptive notes analyse the content and significance of the images. Extensive cross-references link the essays and notes to the images, facilitating consultation of the work. The General Editor of "Mirabilia Italia" is Salvatore Settis, Director of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa.