Why Michelangelo Wanted the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica Built as a Greek Cross

Why Michelangelo Wanted the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica Built as a Greek Cross

Michelangelo designed the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica to be the tallest in the world. Credit: Myrabella / Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0 When the Vatican appointed the great sculptor, painter, and architect Michelangelo to  rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, he wanted it to be on a Greek Cross plan. Specifically, Michelangelo envisioned the emblematic basilica to have a much larger dome so it could be seen from afar, along with a more sizeable rostr…