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Bernini's Baldacchino Photo from 2021 courtesy of VPS member Marvin Lanahan (used with permission ) On Thursday, January 11, 2024, the Vatican announced plans for a major restoration of the baldacchino over the main altar of Saint Peter’s Basilica. The magnificent canopy, the largest bronze structure in the world, was built under the direction of Gian Lorenzo Bernini 400 years ago during the reconstruction of the Basilica. The project, which is expected to run most of the year, will begin on February 12, one day after Pope Francis is scheduled to preside over the canonization Mass for Argentina’s first saint, Blessed María Antonia of St. Joseph. The anticipated completion of the project in December will occur just prior to the start of the 2025 Holy Year Jubilee, which begins with the opening of the Basilica’s Holy Door on Christmas Eve, 2024. As part of the restoration, scaffolding will be erected around the canopy at the basilica’s main altar. Access to Saint Peter’s will not be affected, and Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, has stated that papal liturgies will still take place in the basilica despite the restoration work. The cost of the project, estimated to be 700,000 euro (or around $768,000), is being funded by the Knights of Columbus. The work will be performed by art restorers from the Vatican Museums. Over the past forty years, the Knights have funded several projects at Saint Peter’s, but as Patrick Kelly, the head of the Knights of Columbus, stated, this project is “one of the greatest restorations” since it involves “Bernini’s baldacchino…a singular masterpiece of sacred art.” What has led to the need for the restoration of the baldacchino? Pietro Zander, the head of the artistic and archeological patrimony of the basilica, explained that a preliminary investigation found that the baldacchino had a “degraded state of conservation” and that its entire surface is covered “with a dark coating,” which requires significant cleaning. The deterioration that has occurred is likely due to the “many visitors and pilgrims who flock to St. Peter's Basilica every day, changing its microclimate”. It is estimated that upwards of 50,000 pilgrims visit the Basilica daily. Further studies are planned to gain an understanding of these environmental impacts, and to determine conservation measures to protect all the works housed in Saint Peter’s from future deterioration. 
 Three Stamps Featuring Bernini's Baldacchino: Left: Pope Urban VIII (Popes and Basilica Issue, Scott 166, 1953) Center: Gian Lorenzo Bernini (300th Anniversary of Death Issue, Scott 673, 1980) Right: Baldacchino (1900th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul Issue, Scott 451, 1967) Bernini was commissioned to build the massive baldacchino by Pope Urban VIII in 1624. Positioned directly over the tomb of the first pope, St. Peter, the structure consists of four twisted bronze columns soaring almost 100 feet above the floor of the Basilica. It took Bernini nine years to finish the construction of the canopy. The restoration work being performed at Saint Peter’s Basilica is only one of many projects planned at the Vatican and across the city of Rome as they prepare for the Holy Year celebration. Future Daily Emails will report on some of these restorations and infrastructure upgrades as the start of the jubilee year approaches. REFERENCES: • Courtney Mares (from the Catholic News Agency), National Catholic Register, January 11, 2024, Vatican Announces Major Restoration Project in St. Peter’s Basilica • Lou Giorgetti, Vatican Notes, Volume 71, Number 398, Fourth Quarter, 2023, pp. 10-27, Gian Lorenzo Bernini: Master Artist of the Baroque Era • Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search |
