Four hundred years after its consecration, St Peter’s Basilica is getting a 21st-century upgrade, with the Vatican unveiling plans for AI-powered translation services and expanded pilgrim access as part of yearlong anniversary celebrations. Source: OSV News.
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St Peter’s Basilica, announced a wide-ranging slate of events and initiatives at a Vatican press conference on Monday.
Pilgrims visiting St Peter’s Basilica in 2026 will find expanded rooftop access, real-time Mass translations in 60 languages on their smartphones, extra weekly prayer and sacred music events, and a new temporary display of the Stations of the Cross.
The anniversary celebrations will culminate with Pope Leo XIV offering Mass in the basilica on November 18, exactly four centuries after Pope Urban VIII solemnly dedicated the Renaissance basilica.
While Christians have been praying at the tomb of St Peter for more than 1950 years, the current basilica, which contains one of the world’s largest domes, dates back to the 16th century.
The basilica took more than a century to build, with construction beginning in 1506 under Pope Julius II and finishing in 1615.
The new basilica, designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo and Carlo Maderno, with piazza and fittings by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is the largest church in the world by interior measure.
Among the most practical changes announced is a streamlined online reservation system intended to significantly reduce the often hours-long queues to enter the basilica.
Developed in partnership with the Dicastery for Communication and the tech company Translated, which uses AI-based language services, the system will allow pilgrims to scan QR codes to access audio and text translations on their smartphones without downloading additional apps.
More of the basilica’s terrace will open to the public, including a new permanent exhibition on the basilica’s history and a highly anticipated expanded rooftop snack bar beneath Michelangelo’s dome, nearly double its current size.
Inside the basilica, a new Stations of the Cross designed by young Swiss artist Manuel Dürr will be on temporary display for Lent 2026.
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For its 400th anniversary, St Peter’s Basilica to get 21st-century upgrade, Vatican announces (By Courtney Mares, OSV News)
