This is the masterpiece of Bramante, the architect who began
the rebuilding of St Peter's. The small, circular building, erected
on the site of the supposed martyrdom of St Peter, was commissioned
by the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella at the beginning
of the 16th century. The harmonious proportions of the Tempietto,
which makes it appear much larger than it really is, encapsulate
the harmony and monumentality of the High Renaissance. There
is a superb view over Rome from the surrounding Janiculum hill.
