Chair of Saint Peter
The Chair of Saint Peter (Latin: Cathedra Petri), also known as the Throne of Saint Peter, is a relic conserved in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the sovereign enclave of the Pope inside Rome, Italy. The relic is a wooden throne that tradition claims belonged to the Apostle Saint Peter, the leader of the Early Christians in Rome and first Pope, and which he used as Bishop of Rome. The relic is enclosed in a sculpted gilt bronze casing designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and constructed between 1647 and 1653. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI described the chair as "a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his Successors to tend Christ's flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity."
| Chair of Saint Peter | |
|---|---|
| Latin: Cathedra Petri | |
| Artist | Gian Lorenzo Bernini |
| Year | 1657–1666 |
| Catalogue | 61 |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Medium | Gilt bronze |
| Location | St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City |
| 41°54′8″N 12°27′12″E | |
| Preceded by | Habakkuk and the Angel (Bernini) |
| Followed by | Saints Jerome and Mary Magdalen (Bernini) |
The wooden throne was a gift from Emperor of the Romans Charles the Bald to Pope John VIII in 875. It has been studied many times over the years, most recently between 1968 and 1974, when it was last removed from the Bernini altar. The study concluded that it was not a double, but a single chair, with a covering, and that the oldest parts are from the 6th century. The Chair of Saint Peter is the second altar within the church with the first one being the one under the baldacchino. It stands to remind visitors of the Catholic Church's authority.