St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, From the cycle The Nine Principal Churches of Rome

Michelangelo also won recognition as a brilliant architect. In Florence, his name is particularly associated with the Basilica and the Monastery of San Lorenzo where - apart from the New Sacristy - he designed the architectural plans for the library, including its magnificent staircase. In Rome, he was entrusted with the most prestigious commission of all - the reconstruction of St. Peter’s Basilica. Although his original design for a centralized church was modified later to assume a longitudinal floor plan, the monumental dome is his work. The print depicts the later additions executed after the artist’s death.