Monuments Class Projects
Architect/Sculptor of Monument
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)
Preview
Medium
Photograph
Keywords
St. Peter, Vatican, St. Peter's Chair, St. Peter's Basilica, Pope, Papal Throne, Christianity, Holy Spirit, Alexander VII, Urban VIII, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Bernini, Catholic Church, Reliquary, Doctors of the Church
Physical Dimensions
4x2.5"
Date of Publication
2025
Date of Publication
1858-1878
Name of Monument
St. Peter's Chair
Date of Completion or Dedication of Monument
1-1666
City of Monument
Vatican City, Rome
Location within City
St. Peter's Basilica
State/Province of Monument
Lazio
Country of Monument
Vatican City
Description
This monument is situated in the apse of St. Peter's Basilica and was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Representing the origins of the power of the papacy in the Apostle Peter, it serves as a reliquary for what is traditionally considered his chair.
School of Art/Architecture
Baroque
Publisher
D'Alessandri Brothers
Digital Date
2-7-2025
Copyright
Physical copy of the carte-de-visite is in the public domain. Digital copy scanned by Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
File Format
application/pdf
Comments
St. Peter’s Chair in the Vatican in Rome commemorates the papacy of St. Peter, the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church and ranking apostle of Jesus Christ. His chair in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy is a focal point for many Catholics and Christians alike. The monument was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) in 1630. Bernini was an Italian sculptor who, as a young boy, impressed Pope Paul V (1552-1621) and quickly became known in the Vatican circles. When Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644) became pope, he commissioned Bernini to do works for him. During this time, Bernini designed the baldachin, which stands over the high altar in the basilica in St. Peter’s Basilica, and tomb of St. Peter. Bernini next worked on his reliquary of St. Peter’s Chair. In 1656, Pope Alexander VII (1599-1667) decided to move the chair to the far end of the Basilica where it was unveiled in 1666. The chair asserted the papacy’s origins and supremacy over the Catholic Church. The pope believed that displaying the seat of the first pope strengthened the papacy’s legitimacy. The Chair’s position in the apse of St. Peter’s is visible down the length of the central aisle.
The original chair itself is made out of oak and ivory and plated with gold. Bernini enclosed the original chair in a monumental reliquary. The large monument that Bernini designed to hold the relic is much more elaborate than the chair it encloses. At its base are four saints supporting the chair. These four, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, Athanasius, and John Chrysostom, are made wholly of bronze and represent the four Doctors of the Church. “Doctor” used in this context is another word for theologians whose teachings were declared to be trustworthy in theological doctrine. Pope Boniface VIII (1230-1303) declared the four saints supporting the chair to be the original four Doctors, although since then more have been selected.
Above the chair are two “putti”, who are young babies commonly found in many Renaissance and Baroque works of art. The putti hold the papal tiara, which was used to crown popes until the reign of Paul VI, and keys. The keys symbolize the papal authority, one key made of gold which represents the power of God and heaven, while a silver key represents papal authority on earth. These keys are symbolic of the keys Jesus gave to St. Peter in Matthew 16:19 when he said, “ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” The dove, which in Christianity represents the presence of the Holy Spirit, flies above, in an oval window, which shows the sunlight shining through. Around the window, golden clouds hold angels who overlook the chair. These show divine protection surrounding the relic as the sun shines through the window and illuminates the gold clouds around the chair.
The history of the enclosed chair dates back to roughly 875-877 when the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles the Bald (823-877) brought the throne as a gift to Pope John VIII (?-882). Today, scholars believe the chair dates from the 6th century and challenge the connection with St. Peter put forth by church tradition. The reliquary that encloses it was created in Italy during the Baroque era. The reliquary features a Greek inscription which translates as, “You shepherd the lambs, you tend the sheep of Christ.” This refers to the Gospel of John 21; 15-16 in which Jesus tells Peter to: “Feed my lambs” and “Take care of my sheep”, referring to Jesus’ role as shepherd of his followers, which he was passing on to Peter.
Bernini’s style of sculpture and architecture was Baroque, shown in the extreme extravagance and detail used in his work. St. Peter’s Chair, with the ornate detail found in its saints, golden clouds, “putti” and the dove in the window all show his grandiose, Baroque style and extravagance.
St. Peter’s Chair is a monument made to show the divine nature of the papacy and specifically to commemorate the first pope, St. Peter, by housing what was traditionally considered his throne. Its placement in the apse makes it a focal point of the basilica. Its large, impressive scale shows the dominating grasp of Catholic power during the time it was built, as well as the divinity of Peter, whose throne is surrounded by several Doctors of the Church and the angels protecting the office from any harm.
Bibliography
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Editor, Online. “Who Are the Doctors of the Church?” U.S. Catholic, April 5, 2021. https://uscatholic.org/articles/201208/who-are-the-doctors-of-the-church/.
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