Experts conducting the first renovation in 250 years of a towering altar canopy in the Vatican provided a sneak peek of their progress on Tuesday, with centuries-old gilding glowing anew.
Standing 29 metres (95 feet) tall — the height of a 10-storey building — the Baldachin by Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini is the centrepiece of Saint Peter’s Basilica.
It has been given a facelift in honour of next year’s Jubilee, a holy period celebrated by the Catholic Church around once every 25 years.
Comprising four bronze columns and a canopy bearing four 2.5-tonne (5,600-pound) angels, it had been shrouded by scaffolding since work started in February.
But on a press tour, the luminescent gilding and extraordinary details — from the laurel branches to the bees, the symbol of the Barberini family of Pope Urban VIII, who commissioned the structure — were plain to see.
“We have uncovered all the gilding that was hardly visible before, allowing us to appreciate the details of the sculpture, such as the bees, the leaves, and everything else that was previously obscured,” restorer Carlo Usai told AFP.
Composed mainly of bronze, marble and concrete, the Baldachin last underwent a major restoration in 1758.
This time, restorers found numerous items left behind by previous workers, including a child’s shoe, suggesting minors were hired.
The massive Baldachin stands directly above the tomb of Saint Peter, who in the Christian tradition was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ.
A chair believed to be Peter’s wooden throne, and contained in another Bernini monument in the basilica, has also been renovated.
The so-called cathedra has been removed for study and restoration but will be returned.
The Baldachin will be inaugurated on October 27.
Visitor numbers are expected to surge in 2025 for the Jubilee, with some 30 million people expected in Rome and the Vatican over the 12 months.
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