The digital mission of the “outgoing” Saint Peter’s Basilica: the Microsoft project “AI-Enhanced Experience” using artificial intelligence

Thanks to the creation of a “virtual twin”, all corners of the Basilica can be explored, even those the human eye cannot reach, for an immersive experience accessible to the entire world

VATICAN, 11 NOVEMBER – Saint Peter’s Basilica is entering the virtual space through a digital model created with the support of artificial intelligence. The Fabric of Saint Peter and Microsoft have launched “Saint Peter’s Basilica: AI-Enhanced Experience”, a new project based on cutting-edge technology to enable pilgrims and visitors from all over the world to admire and interact with Saint Peter’s Basilica in its inaccessible points, where the human eye cannot reach. It will be possible to rediscover its history and its role at the heart of Christianity, as well as that of a precious treasure trove of art and culture for all humankind.

The burial place of the apostle Peter, now the seat of the Popes, the sacred space where so much art and beauty is preserved, thanks to the genius of Bramante and Michelangelo, Bernini and Raphael, Maderno and Canova, and many others, can be explored and studied as never before.

Microsoft has played a central role in the project, the first ever with AI technology in a sacred place of such importance, making it eternal, a new work of art of modernity.

It is an innovative choice desired by Cardinal Gambetti, archpriest of the Basilica and president of the Fabric of Saint Peter, who secured the full cooperation of Microsoft in order to open the doors of the Basilica - precisely on the occasion of the next Jubilee - to the world, to give its spirituality, culture and beauty to all, especially to those who will be unable to reach Rome during the Holy Year.

The project

The genesis of the project dates back two years, involving the best international professionals with the valuable contribution of experts and scholars from the Fabric of Saint Peter.

For three weeks, drones, cameras and lasers captured over 400,000 high-resolution images inside the Basilica, which were then used to create an ultra-precise 3D model, known as a digital twin. The images thus generated by artificial intelligence, derived from photogrammetric data, improved the visualization both of the interior and exterior of the Basilica, helping experts and the public to explore the polychrome of the monument.

Elaboration of the data based on artificial intelligence

Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab elaborated the vast quantity of photogrammetric data provided by the French Iconem team, perfecting the digital twin with millimetric precision. The AI algorithms filled in the gaps, improved the details and created a seamless virtual reconstruction.

Artificial intelligence in support of restoration and conservation

In addition, in this case, artificial intelligence helped highlight and map the Basilica’s structural vulnerabilities, such as cracks and missing tesserae in the mosaics, to help guide future conservation work.

The exhibitions

The Lithuanian Dadada design studio curated the immersive exhibition, accessible at Saint Peter’s Basilica, to offer all visitors the possibility of extending the message of communication from the visual to the spatial and experiential design areas.

Two new immersive exhibitions at Saint Peter's Basilica, Petros Eni and Petros Eni Octagon, will offer pilgrims and visitors a unique combination of historical insights and digital exploration, showing key aspects in the evolution of the Basilica over the centuries. This permanent exhibition - digital and in-presence - will be inaugurated on the occasion of the Jubilee 2025, which is estimated to bring an additional 30 million visitors to Rome.

An interactive website will allow anyone in the world to live this extraordinary experience, offering direct access to Saint Peter’s Basilica through detailed 3D models and educational content.

“We have reached the point of defining a coordinated plan for communication services and activities for an ‘outgoing Basilica’”, explains Cardinal Mauro Gambetti. In recent years, not without effort, we have confronted the splendid challenge of the relationship between humanity and technology with a spirit of fraternity, which has inspired important collaborations marked by circularity, skills, points of view and means, with the common objective of promoting human growth.

“We have thus been able to structure an information system for the Fabric, to place Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) at the service of the Offices, and to undertake the process of digitalization of document, archive and human resources management; in addition, we achieved the first step of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) of the Basilica”

“Then”, adds the archpriest of the Basilica and president of the Fabric of Saint Peter, “platforms and apps were created to offer services to pilgrims and visitors in order to enhance their experience at Saint Peter’s; and the meanings enshrined in the monumental complex were made more comprehensible - through multimedia languages, the use of Artificial Intelligence and the proposal of training courses. In this sense, the effort is to decode for today's humanity, with the help of digital technology, the intertwining of history, art and spirituality that make the Basilica unique in the world. Besides, the Church has always done this, seeking to communicate its faith in the divine through the languages of the time and the cultural context to which it belongs”, concludes Gambetti.

“Artificial intelligence permits us to admire this Basilica in a unique and innovative way, never seen before”, declared Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft. “This partnership, which unites institutions and technological innovation, has created a memorable experience for all those who want to know more about the history and meaning of this extraordinary place”.

“When we had inspiration, it was as if a light went on. And this project, I hope, will switch on many lights all over the world. In this way, with the Basilica in the digital space, a new process of communication, with a new work of art that continues on the path of those who have worked on the beauty of the message that comes from the heart of Christianity”, affirms Fr. Enzo Fortunato, director of Communication of Saint Peter’s Basilica, who also states: “On 25 November we will present, together with the Cardinal Archpriest, in accordance with the competent bodies, the plan of communication of Saint Peter’s Basilica”.

“We have been inspired by a desire that is not simply aesthetic or linked to technological innovation”, explains the coordinator of the Microsoft project, Fr. Francesco Occhetta. “Many people are looking for a sacred space when they can find themselves before God, and the digital reconstruction of the Basilica will be able to aid this encounter in every corner of the world. For this reason, this 3D vision reconnects religious architecture to the body of Saint Peter, and represents an extension of it”.