ROME (CNS) — Imagine being able to explore all of St. Peter’s Basilica, its artistic masterpieces and the saint’s underground tomb as well as interact with its caretakers and archeologists to learn more about the world’s largest church and even have a go at restoring it — virtually, that is, and in the 3-D blocky world of Minecraft.
Students around the world now have a chance to be an explorer-restorer of the 519-year-old basilica thanks to a new online educational opportunity created by Minecraft Education, Microsoft’s game-based learning platform, and with the help of St. Peter’s Basilica and Vatican City State.
“Peter is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage” is a new interactive game released worldwide March 18.
“It invites students and children to explore one of the most compelling stories: the history of the basilica,” and “to try their hand at restoration challenges and discover how cultural heritage and modern innovation intersect,” Franciscan Father Enzo Fortunato, president of the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children, told reporters at a news conference at the foreign press club in Rome March 18.
Players use simulated AI-enabled “scanners” — like real preservationists use — to inspect key elements of the basilica and square outside to discover what needs repair and problem-solve with others to decide the best approach to take.
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, said they chose the release date of March 18, the vigil of the feast of St. Joseph, because of the saint’s role as an educator “par excellence of the son of God” and to place the game under his patronage.
The game’s emphasis on learning about the basilica’s past, the significance and meaning of its sacred spaces and collaboration means kids can “experience with others building and winning together in the spirit of fraternity,” he said.
The accuracy and level of detail of the basilica, which covers nearly six acres, was facilitated by the creation of an AI-enhanced, 3-D “digital twin” of the basilica last November. Microsoft’s “AI for Good” lab used AI to stitch together almost half a million high-resolution images of St. Peter’s Basilica, creating a realistic replica people can visit online and helping restorers pinpoint previously unseen problems and places needing repair.
That immersive experience, geared toward adults, aims to allow people worldwide to “visit” and learn about the basilica, its history, beauty and spiritual significance.
So, recreating the basilica in Minecraft as an educational journey “represents a natural and important extension, another big step forward, because this is the way we take this wonderful institution, the culture, the religion, the heritage, and we put it into the hands of children in every country around the world,” Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, said in a recorded video.
Middle school students at Rome’s Jesuit-run Massimiliano Massimo Institute were on hand at the news conference, demonstrating the game which starts off as “mission-based” with several tasks to restore the basilica with the help of the basilica’s “sanpietrini,” as the church’s specialized artisans and workers are known.
Once the tasks are completed, players are free to explore the open world, find and collect items and interact with historic figures, such as Michelangelo, who was appointed to oversee the design and construction of the basilica, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was its official architect and who designed the immense baldachin over the main altar.
Virginia and Vittoria, both 11, told Catholic News Service they have never visited the basilica “in real life,” even though they live in and grew up in Rome. In a city with countless artistic and historical landmarks to visit, family and school field trips somehow missed that one icon, they said.
They will be visiting as part of the school’s pilgrimage to the Holy Door for the Holy Year and the game was a great way to get an idea what is in store, Vittoria said.
“Now I’m looking forward to seeing (the basilica). Its history is very interesting,” which was fun to learn because they get to go back in time, Virginia said.
Designed for students aged 8-18, the platform includes workbooks and resources for students and teachers in both public and Catholic schools or communities and for parents who homeschool. Every student also receives a certificate in Latin after completing the 45-60-minute game, recognizing them as honorary preservers of this cultural heritage site.
“Peter is Here” is available for all licensed users in the Minecraft Education lesson library and trial versions are free to download by logging in with Office 365 or Microsoft 365 Education accounts.
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