Construction of St. Peter's Basilica began on April 18, 1506, and Pope Urban VIII dedicated it on November 18, 1626. Donato Bramante drew the first plan, a Greek cross crowned by a dome inspired by the Pantheon. Raphael, Baldassare Peruzzi and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger followed him.
In 1547 Michelangelo took over and designed the great dome, which Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana completed in 1590. Carlo Maderno then added the nave and a facade about 376 feet (114.69 m) wide. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the bronze canopy over the altar, called the baldachin, and the colonnade of St. Peter's Square.
The dome rises 448 feet (136.57 m) to the top of its cross and measures 136 feet (41.47 m) across inside. The interior covers about 163,000 square feet (15,160 sq m) and holds 20,000 people seated or 60,000 standing.
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