Saint Peter's Basilica Cupola Restoration for Jubilee Year

Major Restoration Underway

• ⛪ St. Peter's Basilica, the world's largest Catholic church and a major monument, is undergoing a significant restoration.
• 🏗️ A large-scale improvement program, initiated for the upcoming jubilee, is in progress, with some works completed and others ongoing.

Unique Access to Restoration Site

• 🖼️ Hidden behind trompe-l'oeil decor, an extensive building site is active, unnoticed by visitors.
• 🪜 The restoration is taking place on scaffolds suspended in the Clementine Dome, one of the basilica's minor cupolas, allowing work to continue without interrupting church activities.
• 🇫🇷 FRANCE 24 is the first media outlet to gain access to this specialized restoration site.

Mosaics and Preservation Efforts

• ✨ Approximately a dozen restorers and mosaicists are meticulously reconditioning the ceiling.
• 💎 The work involves consolidating and re-adhering glass protection layers for gold leaf mosaics, some of which have fallen off.
• 📜 Nearly 200 square meters of mosaics, dating back to the early 17th century and commissioned by Pope Clement VI, cover the dome at a height of over 40 meters.
• ⏳ These are the most ancient mosaics within the basilica.

Project Timeline and Goals

• 🗓️ The restoration project is expected to be completed within 18 months.
• ✨ The goal is to restore the cupola to its original splendor, with glistening mosaics as initially designed.