St. Peter’s Basilica is located in the center of the Vatican. It was completed in the year 1615 and took 100 years to build. The church is named after St. Peter because it s believed he was the first pope. Out side the church is St. Peter’s square. Hundreds of stone pillars surround the square. On top of the pillars are statues of saints and martyrs.

The Vatican is located in the center of Italy’s capital, Rome. The Vatican is its own fully functioning country. It takes up only 109 acres, about the size of central park in New York City. The pope, the leader of the Catholic religion, lives in the Vatican. Although only about 300 people live there permanently it has everything any other country has, a prison, its own newspaper, a 1 million-volume library and an army, the Swiss Guards. Finally the Vatican is home to the world largest church, St. Peter’s Basilica.