St Peter & the facade of the basilica

The statues on the balustrade represent Christ the Redeemer (19 feet high), St. John the Baptist and 11 Apostles. St. Mathias is included because he is associated with the other Eleven in bearing witness to Christ's Resurrection. Gregory XVI (1831-1846) had commissioned Giuseppe De Fabris to sculpt The Statue of St Peter. The eight gigantic columns of the facade are almost 10ft wide and 90 feet high.