Rome's digital renaissance: A virtual journey to St. Peter's Basilica
The Jubilee Year 2025 is rapidly approaching. In anticipation of this event, numerous renovation projects are underway in Rome, but that's not all. The Vatican and Microsoft are collaborating on an intriguing initiative that will allow tourists from around the globe to virtually experience the renowned basilica.
12 November 2024 12:57
The upcoming Jubilee Year 2025 will be officially inaugurated on Tuesday, 24th December, marked by the opening of the Holy Doors at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This basilica has become the centrepiece of a project in which the Vatican, in partnership with Microsoft, has utilised artificial intelligence tools to recreate it digitally.
The virtual "twin" of the renowned basilica
The archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, and Microsoft's President, Brad Smith, emphasised in an interview with Roman media that this is the first project of its kind and magnitude.
The project entails using approximately 400,000 photographs of the basilica, seamlessly integrated using artificial intelligence tools. Thus, a virtual version of the sacred building has been created. Tourists worldwide will not need to leave their homes to explore the Roman temple.
Cardinal Gambetti expressed that the goal of this initiative is to use digital technology to make the basilica's unique history, art, and spirituality accessible to everyone. Microsoft President Brad Smith described it as possibly the most ambitious project humanity has ever seen.
It has been announced that the site can be explored via an interactive website - virtual.basilicasanpietro.va.
They have grandeur
Furthermore, an educational Minecraft project will commence in January 2025, enabling young people to explore St. Peter's Basilica through the popular online game.
