Paul VI Audience Hall
A 1971 concrete hall for papal audiences, with a vast bronze behind the stage.
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UNESCO World Heritage
Pier Luigi Nervi built the audience hall between 1964 and 1971, a reinforced concrete structure seating some six thousand people with a ribbed roof carrying the load out to the sides so nothing blocks the view. Behind the stage stands Pericle Fazzini's Resurrection, a bronze more than twenty metres wide showing Christ rising out of a nuclear crater. Audiences move here from the square in winter.
What you actually see
- Nervi's structure - the ribbed concrete roof spanning the hall.
- Fazzini's Resurrection - the bronze more than twenty metres across.
- The seating - room for some six thousand people.
- The winter use - where audiences move when the square is too cold.
When to go
Audiences are held on Wednesdays and move indoors in the colder months. Free tickets must be requested in advance. The hall is not otherwise open.
Honest expectations
You cannot visit it outside an audience; there is no general access. Tickets are free but must be arranged ahead. Seating is first come and people queue for a long time.
Nearby
St Peter's Square is north, and the basilica is northeast.
What to pack for Paul VI Audience Hall
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
