Recreates the 337 years necessary to complete the edifice of St. Peter's, journeying back to the early history of the church, and charting the rise of the Holy See from a simple priesthood to the religious and political power it became. Explains the church's rituals, starting with the coronation of Pope John XXIII, and describing the sacred traditions from which such spectacular ceremonies have developed over the centuries. Relates the painstaking search, spurred on by one unsung woman's determination, which led to the rediscovery of St. Peter's bones in an underground crypt.