Consuming the genius of a dozen master-artists—including Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael, and Bernini...
Commissioned by 30 colorful popes—among them a bookworm, a burgher, a bastard, a pair of Medici princes. two poets, a soldier, and a swineherd...
Constructed over the course of two tumultuous centuries marred by intrigues, assassination attempts, and unbridled decadence...
The Basilica of St. Peter became both the splendor of the High Renaissance and a scandal of epic proportions. The excessive sums lavished on its construction provoked Martin Luther's revolt, leading to a vicious Sack of Rome and the permanent division of the Christian world into Protestants and Catholics. But the Basilica erected at such incalculable cost stands as one of the supreme artistic achievements of all time.
BASILICA recreates this astonishing Renaissance adventure in all its glory and its controversy.
______________________________________
KIRKUS (Starred Review)
"A riveting portrait of the papacy, complete with its triumphs, intrigues and excesses."
WALL STREET JOURNAL
“Astonishing.... A sweeping account of the construction, from the razing of the original fourth-century church (built by the Emperor Constantine) to the raising of a bronze cross atop the 450-foot dome in 1593…. Scotti lucidly sketches out the major architectural challenges of the whole project -- above all, the building of a dome of unprecedented height -- but at the heart of her story are the extraordinary men who brought St. Peter's into being."
FIRST THINGS,
Father Richard John Neuhaus
“A lovely book, filled with historical detail and lively depictions of the main players, beginning with the unstoppable Pope Julius II, who...laid the first stone of the new St. Peter’s....Her trenchant depiction of Michelangelo–the sensitive and bull-headed prince of geniuses–is especially compelling.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"With her vivid portrayals of the landmark's complex creators (including the irascible Michelangelo and the conniving Raphael), Scotti manages to turn a potentially dry architectural tale into a Vatican version of Dynasty."
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
"Rich in history and architectural detail."
NATIONAL REVIEW
"A fair and fascinating examination of the splendorous and scandalous events that occurred from 1505 to 1667, during the building of St. Peter's Basilica."
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
“A deliciously readable history of the building of St. Peter’s, from its first stone, laid in 1506...to its consecration in 1626….Scotti writes well, with...a dryly subversive wit….She appreciates the epic quest and querulousness and leaves us wondering how anything of any merit ever gets designed, built, consecrated and celebrated.”
BOOKSENSE
“Perfect for anyone going to Rome [or] for anyone who delights in historic research leavened by dramatic stories of larger-than-life clashing personalities."
HISTORY BOOK CLUB
“A stunning achievement….Historian and novelist Rita A. Scotti weaves a startling history of this astounding house of worship, leaving no stone unturned—nor scandal untouched.”
FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
“After reading R.A. Scotti's latest book, you could be forgiven for thinking that St. Peter's Basilica actually wound up in Italy by mistake. Given the size of everything about it -- dimensions, construction time, price tag, personalities -- doesn't it really belong in Texas?”
AMERICA
“Although it may be hard to imagine a volume on the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica as a beach book, R. A. Scotti has produced an account gripping enough to be one.... Her portraits of popes, financiers, architects and artists are so vivid that connections between art, money, theology and revolution come alive in ways rare in church history texts…. Basilica will keep you engrossed.”
THE MAINE TIMES-RECORD
"Basilica pulls off a difficult trick. It weaves details about the construction of a massive church with the lives of architects and popes, lets readers know what else was going on at the time and gives building statistics and the bills….. Basilica is a skillful creation of its own.”
CHARLESTON POST AND COURRIER
“Crisp writing, short chapters and time lines, glossaries and images help make this complicated story easy, even fun, to read.”
WIDE WORLD TRAVEL NEWS
"Art, Architecture, the Renaissance, egotism, religion, the Reformation, and naked ambition all play a part in this history of the building of Christianity’s most famous church..... It’s a fascinating story well-told by this best-selling author."
