Virtual tour of St. Peter's Basilica now online

A team of faculty and students from Pennsylvania’s Villanova University has completed a virtual tour of St. Peter's Basilica, Catholic News Service reports.

The team spent hours shooting hundreds of photos of the basilica and months digitally stitching them together so the Vatican could put a virtual tour of the world’s largest Christian church online.

The virtual tour of St. Peter’s is the fifth Villanova project released by the Vatican. You can also use your computer to tour the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and the Sistine Chapel.

There tours are the best alternative to being on the scene and, as CNS points out, you don't need to fight the crowds.