Vatican, Microsoft collab to put St. Peter's Basilica on Minecraft

St. Peter’s Basilica becomes an interactive Minecraft world

Imagine being able to explore all of St. Peter’s Basilica, its artistic masterpieces and the saint’s underground tomb, and even have a go at restoring it—virtually, that is—and in the 3-D blocky world of Minecraft.

New ‘Minecraft’ Edition Has Students Restore St. Peter’s Basilica, One Block at a Time

Students try out the new Minecraft Education experience during a press conference unveiling the project on March 18, 2025, at the Vatican. Michelangelo’s dome, Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s colonnade and the ancient tomb of the apostle Peter have been recreated within the iconic digital world of 3D cubes and retro gaming aesthetic.

New Minecraft edition has students restore St. Peter’s Basilica

Students try out the new Minecraft Education experience “Peter Is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage” during a press conference unveiling the project on March 18, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA Vatican City, Mar 19, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA). Minecraft, the popular video game known for its blocky, pixelated graphics, has launched a new educational edition that challenges students to explore and restore St. Peter’s Basilica. Michelange…

St. Peter’s Basilica Becomes a ‘Fixable,’ Explorable Minecraft World - The Tablet

A screengrab shows a seagull flying over St. Peter’s Square toward the basilica in a new interactive game, “Peter is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage,” released worldwide March 18, 2025, by Microsoft’s Minecraft Education in collaboration with the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. (Photo: CNS/courtesy of Microsoft/Mojang Studios) by Carol Glatz ROME (CNS) – Imagine being able to explore all of St. Peter’s Basilica, its artistic masterpieces and th…

The Basilica of St. Peter is now available in the ‘Minecraft’ version, the best-selling video game in history, but in its educational aspect, which will allow students from all over the world to explore the inaccessible corners and discover its history from a 3D model without the need to travel to Rome. ‘Peter is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage’ has been created from a detailed 3D scan of the building based on some 400,000 photographs and Artific…

Vatican, Microsoft collab to put St. Peter's Basilica on Minecraft

Microsoft, the Vatican and tech startup Iconem have collaborated to create an AI-powered digital twin of one of the Catholic Church's holiest places in Minecraf