Ahead of the 2025 Jubilee Year, a virtual portal developed with Microsoft will let millions of pilgrims and tourists explore in advance the basilica built in Rome over the tomb of Peter. The pope has encouraged using these new technologies to serve faith and foster connection.
Pope Francis met with technicians and partners of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the institution responsible for the conservation and management of the basilica at the Vatican.
Expressing his gratitude for their work in this “house of prayer for all peoples (that) was entrusted to us by those who have preceded us in faith and in the apostolic ministry,” the pope urged those present at the November 11 audience to “take care of it, both in a spiritual and material sense, also through the most recent technologies.”
“We must govern technology”
New technologies are “tools” that “particularly challenge our creativity and responsibility,” the pope said, emphasizing that “we must govern technology” so that St. Peter’s Basilica may be “a living place of faith and history, a hospitable dwelling, a temple for the encounter with God and with the brothers and sisters who come to Rome from all over the world.”
“Everyone, truly everyone, must feel welcomed in this great house: those who have faith and those in search of faith; those who come to contemplate the artistic beauty of Rome and those who want to decipher its cultural codes,” he added.
The pope’s address coincided with the announcement of a new virtual portal that will go live December 1 and allow users to explore the history and architecture of St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as book visits according to crowd levels, in anticipation of the millions of pilgrims expected in Rome for the 2025 Jubilee, a Holy Year proclaimed by Francis.
A giant patchwork of images processed by AI
Developed over the past two years in collaboration with the U.S. tech company Microsoft, the project is based on 400,000 drone-captured photos that recorded every detail of the building, including its paintings and sculptures. Processed by AI, this “giant patchwork” of images enabled the creation of a “digital twin” of the basilica, as Microsoft Vice President Brad Smith described it during a November 11 press conference. He praised it as “one of the greatest projects of its kind.”
The new basilica site will offer a comprehensive virtual tour, including the ability to explore the Vatican grottoes and the stunning dome that crowns the structure, which will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2026. Users will also be able to follow the basilica’s evolution: from its construction between 1506 and 1626 under various architects—including Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno, and Bernini—at the site of the Apostle Peter’s tomb and the ancient Vatican basilica built under Emperor Constantine I, to modern modifications.
Exhibition halls set up inside the basilica will also allow visitors to immerse themselves in the history of this extraordinary Catholic building, which spans 2.3 hectares, can host 60,000 people, and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The project aims to “decode for contemporary people, with the help of digital technologies, the intertwined history, art, and spirituality that make the basilica a unique place in the world,” highlighted Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of the basilica.
Reproduced with permission by La Croix International.
