VATICAN CITY, Feb 21 (Reuters) — The giant bronze-and-wood canopy in the middle of St Peter’s Basilica is being gradually engulfed by scaffolding as Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s masterpiece gets its first major restoration since the mid-1700s.
The almost 30-metre-high canopy covers the high altar of the basilica, and was built on the spot where St Peter, the first pope, is believed to have been buried after dying as a Christian martyr in the reign of Roman Emperor Nero (54−68 AD).
The altar, from which only the pope can celebrate Mass, is “the cornerstone of the entire architecture of the Basilica”, Father Enzo Fortunato, head of communications for the church, said on Wednesday.
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