Vatican · 400th anniversary of the Petersdom (St. Peter's Basilica)

Today’s St Peter’s Basilica (Petersdom) stands on the site of an earlier basilica that had been built in the 4th century under Emperor Constantine over the presumed tomb of the Apostle Peter. Due to its poor structural condition, construction of a new building began in the early 16th century. Donato Bramante, Raffael, Michelangelo and Carlo Maderno were among those involved in its design. The building therefore combines different phases of the Renaissance and Baroque.

The new St Peter’s Basilica was consecrated on 18 November 1626 by Pope Urban VIII. This marked the completion of a construction project lasting more than a century. Urban VIII had been pope since 1623 and shaped the development of the Papal States as well as the furnishing of Rome. During his pontificate, St Peter’s Basilica received further elements of its Baroque design, including the baldachin over the main altar, created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

St Peter’s Basilica is not Rome’s cathedral – this function is performed by San Giovanni in Laterano – but the principal papal church and the centre of Vatican City State (Vatikanstaat). According to Catholic tradition, the tomb of the Apostle Peter, regarded as the first Bishop of Rome, is located inside it. The building is therefore closely connected with the history of the papacy and the Catholic Church. At the same time, it is one of the most influential buildings in the history of European art and architecture.

The choice of the occasion refers to the 400th anniversary of the consecration of the present building. It therefore does not refer to the founding of the first Constantinian basilica, but to the completion and ecclesiastical consecration of the new building. Based on the information available, a person depicted cannot be identified with certainty; Pope Urban VIII can be regarded as the person historically most directly associated with the consecration.