The Dome

Visitors who climb to the top of the dome are rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view of Vatican City and the city of Rome.

Running around the interior of the dome is a monumental Latin inscription, with letters measuring 1.4 meters in height, which reads:

“TV ES PETRVS ET SVPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECLESIAM MEAM

ET TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI CAELORVM”

This passage comes from the Vulgate Bible and may be translated as:

“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church… and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

The inscription recalls the moment when Jesus entrusted Saint Peter with the keys, symbolizing his authority to preach the Gospel, govern the Church, and to “bind and loose” that is, to forbid or permit, matters on earth in God’s name.

The Lantern Inscription

Beneath the lantern at the top of the dome is another inscription, which reads:

“S. PETRI GLORIAE SIXTVS PP. V ANNO MDXC PONTIF. V”

This may be translated as:

“To the glory of Saint Peter; executed by Pope Sixtus V in the year 1590, the fifth year of his pontificate.