The Vatican and Microsoft work together to create the digital twins of St. Peter's Cathedral, an innovative project brings world-renowned religious holy land into the digital age, providing immersive experiences for tourists around the world. Through advanced photogrammetry technology and artificial intelligence, a highly accurate 3D model is built using 400,000 high-resolution photos. It not only facilitates tourists to make online reservations, but more importantly, it can effectively assist the Vatican in managing tourist traffic and identify buildings in a timely manner. Structural damage and degradation problems provide strong support for the protection of cultural heritage. The application of this technology demonstrates the huge potential of science and technology in cultural heritage and protection, and also provides new ideas for the digital protection of other world cultural heritages.
This project not only realizes the digital preservation and global sharing of St. Peter's Basilica, but also reflects the perfect integration of technology and faith. In the future, similar digital twin projects may be applied to more historical buildings and cultural sites, allowing more people to appreciate and understand cultural treasures from all over the world and contribute to their long-term preservation. Pope Francis' recognition of this project also sets a positive example for the application of science and technology in the field of cultural heritage protection.