Interior view
by BRAMANTE, Donato, Photo
It was probably about 1502 that Bramante received the commission for his epoch-making Tempietto. The circular building, which stands in a courtyard next to San Pietro in Montorio, serves as a shrine marking the supposed site of St Peter’s crucifixion; at its very centre is the hole reputedly for the cross, exposed in the crypt and also visible through an opening in the paved floor above.
On the exterior, the shrine is encircled by a ring of sixteen Doric columns raised on three steps, with an entablature and balustrade above; the upper level has a drum and a dome with a crowning finial. The interior also has Doric pilasters but with alternating narrow and wide bays, the ample niches in the wide bays for the portals (originally only one) and the altar.
The photo shows the crypt.