Church of Santa Susanna in Rome

This image of Santa Susanna Chruch in Rome is part of one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of Rome. There are over 100 images taken from around Rome linked to an interactive map.

Full 360° panorama of the church of Santa Susanna

The church of Santa Susanna in Rome is situated on the Via XX Settembre, just over the road from Santa Maria della Vittoria. The site has a titulus (an early church built around the edge of ancient Rome) that dates back to around 280. Like many early sites of Christian worship, Santa Susanna was originally a house belonging to Caius (Bishop of Rome at the time) and his brother Gabinus. Susanna was the daughter of Gabinus. She is identified as the patron of the church.

There is a story that Susanna had taken a vow of chastity, and yet was being pursued by Maximianus Galerius, adopted son and heir of the Emperor Diocletian. Susanna refused his proposals and then subsequently also refused to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods. This proved too much for the authorities who had her beheaded in her own home.

Today the remains of the Roman building lie visible a glass floor in Santa Susanna's sacristy. They were discovered in 1830 during renovations to lay down a new marble floor. The walls, tiles and mosaics found here may well date back to the original domus of Susanna.

The current church underwent massive renovations around 1590’s under the permission of Pope Sixtus V. Work began in 1588, with the façade being completed in 1603. The interior is decorated with Six immense frescoes by Baldassare Croce on either side of the nave which depict the life of Susanna from the Old Testament. On the whole the church has a lighter feel than many in Rome. The striking façade was made in Baroque style by Carlo Maderno.

In 1922, after a long struggle, American Paulist priests gained permission for Pope Benedict XV to "exercise the sacred ministry to the advantage of the American colony" in Santa Susanna, and the church has been the home for the American Catholic church in Rome ever since. The American embassy used to be close by.

The panoramic image of this location as shown on the Rome tour of PanoramicEarth.com was taken from near the front of the church and the image here shows the frescos around the altar. There is an enlargement of this picture of Santa Susanna on Flickr.

For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

St. Peter's Basilica - View from the Capula

This image of the view from the Cupola of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is part of one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of Rome. There are over 100 images taken from around Rome linked to an interactive map.

Full 360° panorama from the Cupola of St. Peter's Basilica.

The view here is from the top of the Cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The dome of St. Peter’s is about 140m high. Getting up here may be done either using a purpose built lift or ascending via a long set of stairs. The lift takes passengers to the roof above the main nave. From there all visitors must ascend further sets of steps inside the dome of St. Peter’s. Part way up is a viewing balcony which runs around part of the inside of the dome. This is 53m above the ground and some 67m from the top of the dome. From this vantage point you are able to look down on the ants below scurrying around the Papal Altar and around the nave of the church. The inside of the dome is decorated with fantastic mosaics and lettering. Unfortunately the whole is somewhat obscured by the fine mesh fence making photography from this vantage point impossible.

The stairs continue further up the space between the dome and outer walls, getting progressively narrower and more inclined as the angle of the dome impinges upon them. However, the view from the top is well worth the exercise. From the Cupola you are able to see over the roof of St. Peter’s. In the foreground are the 13 statues of Christ and various disciples and Apostles lining the top of the massive façade. Beyond is St. Peter’s Square, and from this height the travertine lines set into the square are clearly visible radiating from the central obelisk capped with a cross. The ellipses of the colonnades, each made of 4 rows of Doric columns, is clearly visible from this height, and at the focal point of each are 2 fountains.

From St. Peter’s square, past the Piazza Pio XII, the Via della Conciliazione extends off towards the River Tiber and the Castel Sant Angelo, which is now a museum but used to be a papal fortress / residence and prison.

There is an enlargment of this photo of St. Peter's Basilica on Flickr. For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

St Peter's Basilica Rome - The Papal Altar

This image of the Papal Alter in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome ispart of one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of Rome. There are over 100 images taken from around Rome linked to an interactive map.

Full 360° panorama of the Basilica of Saint Peter

The Basilica of Saint Peter is officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and colloquially called Saint Peter's Basilica. It is the focal point of the Vatican. St Peter’s Basilica has been through many changes over the centuries. The first St. Peter’s was built by Constantine between 320-322 AD. Over the following centuries the site endured several lootings and further embellishments. By the 1500 St. Peter’s had suffered from neglect, was irreparable and dismantled to make room for the current Basilica. Thus on April 18, 1506, the cornerstone to the current version of St. Peter’s Basilica was laid by Pope Julius II. Work continued for over 100 years to produce the current form.

Extensive information about the Basilica can be found on stpetersbasilica.org. The interior of St. Peter’s Basilica is a museum in it’s own right. There are over 400 statues on display aside from other paintings and artifacts. In addition to this the Basilica is large enough to house over 40 chapels. Entrance is via one of 5 named doors of the portico, each of which has a distinct history. The central door is from the old St. Peter’s Basilica. St. Peter’s Basilica is laid out in the form of a Latin Cross, the main nave is 40m high and the floor laid in intricate marble patterns.

The central focus is the Papal Altar, where only the pope celebrates Mass. The baldachin rising over the central altar was designed by Bernini. It is made of 37 tonnes of bronze, stands some 30 meters high, built to fill the space beneath the dome soaring about 140m above it. The bronze used was taken from the Pantheon. Underneath this baldachin is the traditional tomb of St. Peter.

Surrounding the 4 corners of this canopy are 4 pillars which support the weight of the dome. Each of these is 71m in circumference. Each contains a huge statue 4 saints whose relics are preserved in chapels set above the statues part way up the columns. These are the saints Helena, Veronica, Andrew and Longinus (who is said to be the soldier who pierced Jesus whilst he hung on the cross). At the tops of the columns a Latin inscription runs around the base of the arches. Above this are 4 mosaics.

As can be seen in this picture, the whole environment dwarfs those attending it. There are more panoramas from Rome on Panoramic Earth. There is an enlargement of this image of St. Peter's on Flickr.

For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Rome Articles Index

Below is listed an index of the articles posted about Rome. Each represents a place in Rome that was photographed for the Rome Tour on PanoramicEarth.com, where you will find panoramic images of Rome linked to an interactive map. This list of Roman articles will continue to grow.

St. Peter's Bascilica and the Vatican
St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican - Facade
St. Peter's Basilica - The Papal Altar
St. Peter's Piazza (Square) in the Vatican
View from Cupola of St. Peter's Basilica over St. Peter's Square

Museums of Rome
Castel Sant Angelo
Galleria Colonna and Palazzo Colonna
Galleria Nazionale d'Art Moderna

Ancient Rome
Arch of Constantine
Arch of Titus
Area Sacra Argentina
Basilica of Julia - Roman Forum
Circus Maximus
Colosseum - Inside
Colosseum - Outside
Column of Marcus Aurelius
Palatine Hill - Stadium
Pantheon
Porta Maggiore and Aqueduct
Pyramid of Gaius Cestius
Roman Forum (Magnum Forum)
Temple of Antonius and Faustina - Roman Forum
Temple of Romulus - Roman Forum
Trajan's Forum

Churches in Rome dedicated to Mary / Maria
S Maria ad Martyres
S Maria delgi Angeli
S Maria della Consolazione
S Maria Maggiore Basilica
S Maria dei Miracoli
S Maria in Monterone
S Maria del Popolo
S Maria in Trastevere
S Maria della Vittoria
SS Nome di Maria al Foro Triano

Other Churches in Rome
Chiesa di Santa Maria in Palmis
Domine Quo Vadis
Il Gesu
S Ambrogio e Carlo
S Bartolomeo all'Isola
S Bernardo alle Terme
S Bonifacio e Alessio
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (San Carlino)
S Clemente in Laterano
S Croce in Gerusalemme
S Eugenio
S Giovanni in Laterano
S Lorenzo in Miranda
St Paul within the Walls
S Sussanna

Fountains,
Fountain of Neptune - Piazza Navona
Fontanone dell'Acqua Paola
Fountain of Roma between the Tiber and Anio - Piazza del Popolo
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi -Piazza Navona
Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)

Piazzas and OtherSights in Rome
Piazza Colonna
Piazza Navona
Piazza del Popolo
Piazza della Repubblica
Piazza di Spagna and Barcaccia Fountain
Ponte Palatino and Ponte Rotto
Ponte Vittoria Emanuele

This tour is available for other sites to use for free and works as an i-frame with the page code. I have embedded the tour within this blog.

St. Peters Basilica - Rome. The Facade

This image of the front of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome ispart of one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of Rome. There are over 100 images taken from around Rome linked to an interactive map.

Full 360° panorama of the view from the front of St. Peter's Bascilica.

The Basilica of Saint Peter is officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and colloquially called Saint Peter's Basilica. It is the focal point of the Vatican. St Peter’s Basilica has been through many changes over the centuries. Just over 500 years ago, on April 18, 1506, the cornerstone to the current version of St. Peter’s Basilica was laid by Pope Julius II. At the beginning of the first Century AD the area was the gardens of Agrippina. Caius Caligula built a circus here and the obelisk in the centre of St. Peter’s Square was erected near to it’s current position at this time.

Work on the current façade of St.Peter’s began on February 10, 1608, taking until 1612 to complete. The ornamentation took another 2 years to install. The 1m high inscription that runs above the main columns states: "Paul V Borghese, Roman, Pontiff, in the year 1612, the seventh of his pontificate, [erected] in honour of the Prince of Apostles". The central balcony, the Loggia of the Blessings, is the site from which a new pope is announced, and from where the pope gives the Urbi et Orbi blessing. The façade of St. Peter’s is 118m wide and 48m tall.

The front of St. Peter’s is hugely impressive, people seem dwarfed by the façade. Along the top are 13 massive travertine statues of Christ, other gospel characters. These are, from left to right – Thaddeus, Matthew (gospel writer), Philip, Thomas, James, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ (central figure with a cross), Andrew, John the Evangelist (gospel writer), James the younger, Bartholomew, Simon and Matthias. Peter is represented in a relief under the Loggia of the Blessings with Christ.

Currently visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica ascend a series of steps from the far right of the façade having passed through security and walking past a huge 5.5m tall statue of St. Paul placed upon a pedestal almost 5m high. Entrance to the Basilica itself is through the main doors in the centre of the façade. Those wishing to visit the tombs of the popes or ascend to the Capula of Ct. Peter’s must pass to the right of the façade. Those leaving the tour of the tombs pass out along the left of the façade where the Swiss Guards are stationed at the Arch of Bells Entrance. Above this arch are the bells of St. Peter’s, the larges of which is 2.5m in diameter.

There is an enlargement of this picture of the facade of St. Peter's Basilica on Flickr. Panoramic Earth also has panoramas from St. Peter's Square and inside St. Peter's Basilica with more information.

A very good map of the area with further information is found on St.PetersBasilica.org Square and Area pages.

For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Saint Peter's Piazza - Rome

St. Peter's Square in Rome is one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of Rome. There are over 100 images taken from around Rome linked to an interactive map.

Full 360° panorama of Saint Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro)

Saint Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) is also known as Saint Peter's Piazza. It is the open space directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City. It is here that a congregation gathers every Wednesday morning to hear a Papal address, and also to see the Pope from the balcony of the Papal residence to the right of the piazza. The dimensions of St. Peter’s Square are almost identical to those of the inside of the Colosseum. It is estimated that 300,000 people could easily gather here without crowding.

Design of St. Peter's Square:
St. Peter’s Square was redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini under the rule of Pope Alexander VI between 1656 to 1667. The piazza is partially surrounded by two curved, covered colonnades, each of which contains 4 rows of a total of 284 Doric style columns. On top of each colonnade are statues of 96 saints and martyrs. At the centre of the Piazza is a 25.5m tall red granite obelisk which dates from the 13th Century BC. It had originally been brought to Rome from Egypt in 35 AD by Emperor Caligula and was moved to the current site in 1586 by the engineer Domenico Fontana under the direction of Pope Sixtus V. The task took 900 men, 150 horses and 47 purpose-built cranes to complete. On the top of the obelisk was a guilt ball that was thought to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar. This was removed a replaced with an iron cross.

At the focal point of each of the colonnades are spectacular 2 fountains which were placed here in 1614 and 1667. Between the obelisk and each fountain is a small round porphyry slab. Viewing the colonnades from these positions gives you the illusion that there is only one row of columns. The paving of the square is broken up by lines of travertine radiating from the centre. Around the obelisk are the markings of a compass. In 1817 circular stones were set to mark the tip of the obelisk at noon as the sun entered each of the signs of the zodiac, making of the obelisk a gigantic sundial's gnomon.

From the far end of the Piazza three flights of steps ascend to the entrance of St Peter’s Basilica, the focal point of the temporal jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church.

There are more panoramas from the Vatican on Panoramic Earth. The larger version of this image is available on Flickr.

For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Castel Sant Angelo in Rome

The Castel Sant Angelo in Rome is one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of Rome. There are over 100 images taken from around Rome linked to an interactive map.

Full 360° panorama of the Castel Sant Angelo V

The Castel Sant Angelo V was originally built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for his family and known as Hadrian’s Mausoleum. It served time as a mausoleum, fort, prison, palace and now a museum. The name changed in the 6th Century when Pope Gregory the Great saw a vision of St. Michael on top of the building while praying for deliverance from a plague affecting Rome at the time. This is commemorated by a bronze statue on top the building overlooking Rome and sheathing a sword.

The first building was constructed between 135 and 139 AD. The ashes of Hadrian were buried here in 138 and succeeding emperors were buried here up to 217 AD, probably in the Treasury Room at the heart of the building.

In the 5th century the Mausoleum was converted into a fortress and incorporated into the defensive Walls built around Rome. The contents were looted by Visigoths in 410 during the sacking of Rome by Alaric.

Castel Sant Angelo and the Popes:
Pope Nicholas III connected the castle to the Vatican in the 14th century with a fortified, covered corridor called the Passetto di Borgo. During the sacking of Rome in 1527 Pope Clement VII took refuge here whilst back at the Vatican the Swiss Guard were slain to a man. Clement finally escaped dressed as a servant after several months watching Rome burn

The Castel Sant Angelo was then converted into both a papal residence, a prison and a place of torture. Paul III built a rich apartment, to make sure in a new siege the Pope had an appropriate place to stay. Leo X built a chapel decorated by Raffaello di Montelupo. Famous prisoners included Giordano Bruno, Cellini and Beatrice Cenci. Executions occurred in the small square interior of the building and skeletons excavated from the site show evidence of torture. In 1901 the building began a 30 year restoration programme and conversion to a museum.

More panoramas from Rome can be found on Panoramic Earth. For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Move Over to Beta.blogger - Post Tags

The Panoramic Earth blog today moved over to the newer version of Blogger. One thing that this will mean is that people will be able to move through relevant blog entries with greater ease. Each entry will now contain a series of tags at the bottom. By selecting one of the tags you will be shown only the entries with the same tag. This can be helpful when trying to compartmentalize the information.

For example, I expect to add a little more detail about some of the locations that have been photographed for Panoramic Earth. Using the tag system you will be able to see what information is given about specific places featured, like Rome, London and panoramicearth (for website related entries). I will also be going through some of the older posts and adding tags to them as time is available. Some of the more important tags will be listed down the side in future as well, allowing rapid access to specific areas of the blog.

Who knows, maybe one day you will be able to select the tag cloud and see what are the most common subjects written about.

Arch of Constantine - Rome

Arch of Constantine - Rome
Originally uploaded by ptr.watts.

The Arch of Constantine in Rome is one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of Rome. There are over 100 images taken from around Rome linked to an interactive map.

Full 360° panorama of the Arch of Constantine

The Arch of Constantine in Rome is situated next to the Colosseum in the Piazza del Colosseo. It was erected in AD 315 by the Senate to commemorate the victory of Constantine over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge in AD 312. While Constantine claimed his victory followed a vision of Christ prior to battle, there is nothing at all Christian in the Arch. Many components and statues, medallions and reliefs featured on the Arch of Constantine were taken from older monuments. The reliefs on the inside of the central archway and those above on the sides of the Arch come from a monument depicting the victory of Trajan over the Dacians. Similarly, there are statues of Dacian prisoners taken from Trajan’s Forum.

The eight large medallions that adorn the Arch of Constantine depict hunting scenes and pastoral sacrifices. These were taken from an unknown monument erected by Hadrian. The eight high reliefs found at the top of the Arch of Constantine, above the outer arches, were taken from a monument to Marcus Aurelius. These depict a sacrifice, speeches to the army, a triumphal entry into Rome and one of him giving bread to the poor.

In fact, the only sculptural decorations on the Arch that come from the time of Constantine are the small bas-reliefs of the frieze and the victories and captives found at the bases of the columns. Nowadays, the Arch of Constantine is often passed by quickly and without a second glace by people heading for the Colosseum or the Roman Forum.

For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

This article may be used freely in full providing the following acknowledgement and link is used:
Article written by Peter Watts on behalf of PanoramicEarth.com

Area Sacra Argentina - Rome

Area Sacra Argentina - Rome
Originally uploaded by ptr.watts.

The Area Sacra di Largo Argentina is one of the locations featured on the PanoramicEarth.com tour of Rome, where you will find panoramic photographs of this and other Roman locations.

Full 360° panorama of the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina

The Area Sacra di Largo Argentina contains four temples discovered between 1926-29 when the area was being prepared for a new building. This was not uncommon in Rome and the site turned from construction to Archaeology. The temples are labeled A to D as it is not yet known who they were dedicated to. All the temples face a courtyard to the East paved with travertine.

Temple A - Area Sacra dell Argentina: Built in the later part of the 3rd Century BC. It is hexagonal and peripteral in design. Most of the columns and stylobate have been preserved. In the Middle Ages the church of St. Nicholas was built over the site. The apses are the only remains of this church and are still visible.

Temple B - Area Sacra dell Argentina: This is the most recent temple, which was circular. The remains include six columns, the original flight of steps and the alter. Behind temples B and C are the remains of a platform built of tufa blocks. These formed part of the Curia of Pompei which was rectangular and contained a statue of Pompey. It was here that the Senate met, and here that Julius Caesar was killed on March 15, 44 BC.

Temple C - Area Sacra dell Argentina: This, the oldest temple, dates from late 4th or early 3rd century BC. During the Imperial era the cella was rebuilt and the columns and podium were covered in stucco. In 1935 an altar was discovered with an inscription dating to 180 BC, though this altar was also a replacement of an earlier one.

Temple D - Area Sacra dell Argentina: Temple D is the largest temple. Part of it still lies buried under Via Florida to the south. The Torre del Papito was also excavated and preserved during this time.

The column stumps to the North behind temple A belonged to the great Hecatostylum Portico which had 100 columns. The remains of one of the two lavatories built here in Imperial times can still be seen.

More Panoramic images from Rome can be found on PanoramicEarth.com. For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Maui in the Sky

Maui
Originally uploaded by ptr.watts.

Taken while shooting the area for the Hawaii tour, Maui is seen in the distance as if floating on a bed of clouds. I never got to the island to do some work there, Hawaii Island just had too many gorgeous beaches and other things of it's own that kept me busy for enough time.

Still, Maui floats in the distance like an inviting dream, beckoning to be explored. Meanwhile, back on Hawaii Island the day was spent continuing up the East coast towards North Point capturing as many of the beaches as possible. This shot was taken from the I18 viewpoint over Kiholo Bay whilst on the way to Waiulua Bay and Hapuna Beach. All of these can be found on the Panoramic Earth tour of Hawaii Island

Panoramic Earth and Flickr

Flickr is the well know site for posting photographs and sharing them with the world. I have been thinking about using it for a little while and have now taken the plunge. Some extra images that are either detail form a panoramic or simply other things taken whilst working for Panoramic Earth will be available on Flickr. All the current images are from Hawaii Island, and most of these were of lava formations or animals that caught my eye whislt there.

It is possible to get an RSS feed for the images that are uploaded. There are two links below that may be of use to people:

Flickr Account
RSS Feed link

I will continue to post some of the images here with a bit more of an expanded comment, but if you are interested in the larger image then Flickr will be the place to go. In cases where the larger image is available on Flickr I will try to remember to include the link. One of the things that we hope to include in the upgrade of Panoramic Earth are descriptions for each of the locations we have photographed.

London and Rome Index

There are now some 50 destinations covered by Panoramic Earth. Some of these are skiing areas in Europe while others covers some cities and other travel destinations. We are now beginning to produce lists of all the individual locations that have been photographed in each of the cities. So, if you want to know what is covered in either London or Rome then you can now do so by following the links given below. We will continue to gradually provide indexes to all the other non-skiing destinations covered in the future.

London Index

Rome Index

You will find the locations listed alphabetically within categories. In the meantime we are also working on constructing the tours and maps for some other cities. These will include Paris for which the panoramic images are being put together as this is being written.

Roman (Magnum) Forum - Rome

Well, here is another one of Rome – the Roman Forum (or though it may also be known as the Forum Magnum). This ranks among the top ten visited sites in Rome, so if you go there during the high season, expect it to be crawling with tourists after about 10am when they begin to surface from the excesses of fantastic Roman food and wine the night before.

So this is the place to come to walk among 2000+ years of history. Makes you think – or would if the noise and bustle of hundreds of other people allowed you to do so. At least this is one place where you will not be contending with the crazy traffic. Though you do stand the danger of being run over by massive tour groups, so big that they can take minutes to pass by in double or even quadrouple file. So big indeed that they are communicated to via a radio earpiece link with the guide. It would appear quite possible then that those at the rear are actually looking at something the guide was talking about 5 minutes ago as they trail along at breakneck speed in order to get to the next site. That way they have ‘Done Rome’.

Oh, and if you think the crowds here are nuts – try the Coliseum, St.Peter’s or, worst of all, the Vatican Museums and Sistene Chapel, where a mile of bodies 4 deep can be found waiting to get in. Ah, but then that is Rome…

For more articles on Rome see the Rome Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.