2024-03-04 03:10:00
The giant bronze and wood canopy at the center of St. Peter’s Basilica is gradually being hidden behind scaffolding as Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s masterpiece undergoes its first major restoration since the mid-1700s.
As Day.Az reports, citing foreign media, the restoration project, costing about 700,000 euros ($756,000), was announced last month, but preparations for the restoration actually began on February 14. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2024, Vatican officials said. The restoration is funded entirely by the Catholic charity Knights of Columbus.
The almost 30 meter high canopy covering the main altar of the basilica was built on the site where Apostle Peter, the first Pope, is believed to have been buried after being martyred during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero (54-68 AD). ).
The altar, in which only the Pope can celebrate Mass, is “the cornerstone of the entire architecture of the basilica,” said Father Enzo Fortunato, the church’s head of communications.
The structure required special attention after “250 years of use and abuse,” said Alberto Capitanucci, an engineer at the Fabrica San Pietro, the department in charge of the basilica.
He noted that cleanup and repair work would be suspended for Easter week to allow Pope Francis to lead celebrations of the most important holiday in the Christian calendar.
The goal is to restore Bernini’s canopy, as it is called, to its splendor before the start of the Holy Year 2025. The Holy Year, also known as the Year of Jubilee and held at least once every 25 years, begins on Christmas Eve 2024 when the Pope opens the Holy Door of the basilica. The event usually attracts millions of pilgrims seeking remission of their sins.
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