Daily
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| Pope Gregory XVI |
| Pope Pius IX |
| Pope Pius X |
| Pope Pius XI |
Your answer was: Pope Pius IX. |
Answer: I have to admit that getting information on this subject took a little digging on the internet and ALEXA was of no help! Finally found was a National Catholic Register article by Solene Tadie. This article described the cross that is on top of the bronze round-looking ball on the very, very top of St. Peter's Basilica. It seems this round ball is not so little. It is made of 54 trapezoidal-shape pieces of mercury-gilded bronze — rises to a height of about 410 feet from the floor of the basilica and measures more than 8 feet in diameter for a total weight of 4,104 pounds. It is only accessed by a wooden latter. In the 18th century, getting to the round ball on top of the dome was considered a special place to get to visit but these days is only accessed by the Vatican staff. Supposedly the area is big enough to accommodate up to 16 people! There are marble tablets along the walls giving names of famous people who have visited the area including King Ferdinand of Naples, Prince Gustaf of Sweden and Norway, and Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. The last reigning Pope to have visited the sphere area was Pius IX in the mid-19th century and there is no record in the Vatican archives of a papal visit since then. It is probably not an area of the Vatican that you can put on your bucket list and have any hope of getting to visit.  400th Anniversary Of The Construction Of The Dome Of Saint Perter Basilica In Vatican Vatican Postcard 1990 See Also • 400th Anniversary Of The Construction Of The Dome Of Saint Perter Basilica In Vatican UFN Bulletin 1990 • Solene Tadie The Unknown Story of St. Peter’s Golden Sphere National Catholic Register - https://www.ncregister.com/blog/the-unknown-story-of-st-peter-s-golden-sphere |
