From Sunday 27th October, the wooden throne symbolizing the primacy of Peter can be venerated and admired at the Altar of the Confession, at the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops
VATICAN, OCTOBER 25th
The Chair of Saint Peter, the wooden throne symbolizing the primacy of Peter, will remain on display to the public in Saint Peter’s Basilica. On Sunday 27th October, it will be brought to the Altar of the Confession of the Vatican Basilica at the end of the Eucharistic celebration at 10:00, presided over by Pope Francis at the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops. It will be the first with the canopy unveiled after the restoration.
The Cathedra Sancti Petri Apostoli has been considered the episcopal seat of Peter for centuries: a wooden throne decorated with ivory plaques representing the labors of Hercules and six constellations. The venerated relic was extracted from its monumental gilded bronze “reliquary”, the Bernini monument, to allow for restoration in the apse of the Basilica as part of the restoration work undertaken by the Fabbrica di San Pietro in preparation for the Jubilee.
On this occasion, it will be subjected to a series of meticulous diagnostic and investigative tests carried out in collaboration and synergy with the Cabinet of Scientific Research applied to the Cultural Heritage of the Vatican Museums.
It was in fact necessary to remove the precious wooden seat to assess its state of conservation fifty years after the last extraction (1969-1974).
The wooden seat is believed by many to be the throne of Emperor Charles the Bald, king of the Franks, crowned in the ancient Basilica of St. Peter on Christmas 875 by Pope John VIII. However, it cannot be ruled out that this 9th-century imperial seat may have later housed the panel with the labors of Hercules, perhaps referring to a previous and more ancient papal seat.
Last October 2nd, in the Ottoboni Sacristy of St. Peter’s Basilica, before the opening Mass of the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis was able to observe the ancient and venerated Chair of St. Peter up close together with Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica. The Holy Father then arranged for it to be exposed for the veneration of the faithful at the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops.
The wooden Chair can be venerated and admired at the Altar of the Confession until December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
“The Basilica wants to celebrate the ancient relic as the Chair of Love – explains Cardinal Gambetti – The Good Shepherd, in fact, who gives his life for his sheep, knows them one by one and calls them by name, asks Peter: “Do you love me more than these?”. And only by virtue of this love, the first and most important of the commandments, that Jesus invests him with the task of feeding his sheep, making him in fact his Vicar on earth and the first of the apostles.
The ancient Chair of Peter is the chair of love because it shows us how only from mutual love can the true Christian community, certainly synodal, be born”.
“Taking us back to the climate that was felt in the first Christian community – adds Gambetti – the Chair of Peter speaks to us of a coming together, gathered in assembly, of a Church gathered around its pastor, where each one is personally called to follow Jesus, but on a path that is never individualistic but always shared and enlightened by brothers and sisters”.
“The Chair teaches us that life is not power but service” says Father Enzo Fortunato, director of communications for St. Peter’s Basilica.
VATICAN, OCTOBER 25th
The Chair of Saint Peter, the wooden throne symbolizing the primacy of Peter, will remain on display to the public in Saint Peter’s Basilica. On Sunday 27th October, it will be brought to the Altar of the Confession of the Vatican Basilica at the end of the Eucharistic celebration at 10:00, presided over by Pope Francis at the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops. It will be the first with the canopy unveiled after the restoration.
The Cathedra Sancti Petri Apostoli has been considered the episcopal seat of Peter for centuries: a wooden throne decorated with ivory plaques representing the labors of Hercules and six constellations. The venerated relic was extracted from its monumental gilded bronze “reliquary”, the Bernini monument, to allow for restoration in the apse of the Basilica as part of the restoration work undertaken by the Fabbrica di San Pietro in preparation for the Jubilee.
On this occasion, it will be subjected to a series of meticulous diagnostic and investigative tests carried out in collaboration and synergy with the Cabinet of Scientific Research applied to the Cultural Heritage of the Vatican Museums.
It was in fact necessary to remove the precious wooden seat to assess its state of conservation fifty years after the last extraction (1969-1974).
The wooden seat is believed by many to be the throne of Emperor Charles the Bald, king of the Franks, crowned in the ancient Basilica of St. Peter on Christmas 875 by Pope John VIII. However, it cannot be ruled out that this 9th-century imperial seat may have later housed the panel with the labors of Hercules, perhaps referring to a previous and more ancient papal seat.
Last October 2nd, in the Ottoboni Sacristy of St. Peter’s Basilica, before the opening Mass of the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis was able to observe the ancient and venerated Chair of St. Peter up close together with Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica. The Holy Father then arranged for it to be exposed for the veneration of the faithful at the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops.
The wooden Chair can be venerated and admired at the Altar of the Confession until December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
“The Basilica wants to celebrate the ancient relic as the Chair of Love – explains Cardinal Gambetti – The Good Shepherd, in fact, who gives his life for his sheep, knows them one by one and calls them by name, asks Peter: “Do you love me more than these?”. And only by virtue of this love, the first and most important of the commandments, that Jesus invests him with the task of feeding his sheep, making him in fact his Vicar on earth and the first of the apostles.
The ancient Chair of Peter is the chair of love because it shows us how only from mutual love can the true Christian community, certainly synodal, be born”.
“Taking us back to the climate that was felt in the first Christian community – adds Gambetti – the Chair of Peter speaks to us of a coming together, gathered in assembly, of a Church gathered around its pastor, where each one is personally called to follow Jesus, but on a path that is never individualistic but always shared and enlightened by brothers and sisters”.
“The Chair teaches us that life is not power but service” says Father Enzo Fortunato, director of communications for St. Peter’s Basilica.