What is the name of the papal basilica in Vatican City, the largest church in the world?

St. Peter’s Basilica is the papal basilica in Vatican City and the world’s largest church by interior measure. It is one of Christianity’s most important pilgrimage sites and dominates the skyline of Vatican City with its enormous dome.

The present basilica replaced an earlier church built in the fourth century under Emperor Constantine. Construction of the current building began in 1506 and was completed in 1626. Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini were among the artists and architects who shaped the complex, which combines Renaissance and Baroque elements.

Catholic tradition identifies the site beneath the high altar as the tomb of Saint Peter, the apostle regarded as the first Bishop of Rome. The basilica is therefore closely associated with the papacy, although it is not the Pope’s cathedral; that title belongs to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran.

The phrase “largest church in the world” can depend on the measurement used, but St. Peter’s is the standard canonical answer in general-knowledge quizzes.