Vatican unveils plans for restoring Bernini's canopy in St. Peter's Basilica

The Vatican recently unveiled plans for a yearlong restoration of the monumental Baldacchino, or canopy, over the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, pledging to complete the work on Bernini’s masterpiece before Pope Francis’ big 2025 Jubilee. The price tag? About 700,000 Euros (USD 770,000).

The restoration and conservation project, funded entirely by the Knights of Columbus and using the expertise of the Vatican Museum's restorers, marks the first comprehensive work on the 10-story-tall Baldacchino in 250 years.

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The structure, which is positioned over the basilica’s main altar to provide a ceremonial covering for the tomb of St. Peter underneath, dates from the 1620s–1630s, when Pope Urban VIII commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to create a canopy for the apostles’ tomb.

The Baldacchino is considered one of the most complicated multi-material artworks of all time, with its marble, bronze, wood, gold, and iron. It eventually involved numerous other artists and craftsmen, including the master architect of the period, Francesco Borromini. The canopy's four massive twisting columns, featuring gilded cherubs and laurel branches, were inspired by the marble columns that surrounded St. Peter’s tomb in the ancient basilica, which stood on the site of today’s St. Peter’s, the biggest church in the world.

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Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, who is in charge of the basilica, unveiled the restoration project at a news conference on Thursday. He said that the works, including massive scaffolding to cover the 29-meter-high canopy, would allow all liturgical celebrations to continue throughout the year and would be completed by December.

Pietro Zander, in charge of the artistic patrimony of the basilica, said the restoration mostly involves a systematic cleaning of the dust-and-grime-covered structure. That's no easy task given that at its height, there are four 2.5-ton statues of angels perched atop the 9-ton columns.

Other work is aimed at conservation amid evidence that some pieces are coming apart. In addition, some of the materials have suffered centuries of degradation from changes in temperature and humidity thanks to the 50,000 people who pass through the basilica on any given day, changing its microclimate, he said.