We all know that during the 4th century the emperor Constantine constructed a Roman basilica over the grave of St. Peter. This was replaced during the renaissance with the current structure, as the old church had become structurally unsound during the interval.
A reconstruction of the old church, drawn in 1891, is here:
It would be interesting to know the authorities on which this drawing was based. Are there, indeed, old sketches of the basilica? There surely ought to be! And it was a Roman basilica, preserved intact, so should be of interest to classicists.
A substantial part is still there (the Crypt of the present basilica). There are also several paintings (a/o Raphael’s Fire in the Borgo).
16th century sketch of the floor plan of Old Saint Peter’s by Tiberio Alfarano:
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4795/sbasilicaplantiberioalf.jpg
Larger version of the image you posted:
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6650/s19thcreconstruction.jpg
Image of interior from fresco:
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/2091/stpetersoldfresco17c.jpg
The Alfarano is interesting, isn’t it?
Er, 1450? Three years before the Unpleasantness?
I had a professor of late antique art who mentioned that, when Old St. Peter’s was disassembled, a careful record was kept of every piece for posterity. And this record (which must be vast) still exists. I don’t know anything more about it that that, but if such a thing were true, it might offer the possibility of creating an accurate model.
Also, have you seen this article (useful even if you don’t read Italian): http://traditioliturgica.blogspot.com/2011/08/ricostruzione-tridimensionale-della.html
This gentleman does fairly high quality 3-dimensional computer-based reconstructions of churches. I am not familiar with his methodology or accuracy, but the results are impressive.
Well there’s a lot in Italian archives that no-one ever sees — they’re vast and not properly documented –, so it could be true.
Nice site!