FEBRUARY 22,2014 (SATURDAY) FEAST DAY OF LEADERSHIP ROLE OF St.PETER OR CHAIR OF St.PETER) The Chair of Saint Peter (Latin: Cathedra Petri) is a relic conserved in St. Peters Basilica, enclosed in a sculpted gilt bronze casing that was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and executed between 1647 and 1653. The name derives from the Latin cathedra meaning chair or throne, which is used to denote the chair or seat of a bishop. The cathedra in St. Peters Basilica was once used by the popes. Inside the Chair is a wooden throne, which, according to tradition, was used by Saint Peter. It was, however, actually a gift from Charles the Bald to Pope John VIII in 875.[1] Like many medieval reliquaries it takes the form of the relic it protects, in this case a chair. Symbolically, the chair Bernini designed had no earthly counterpart in actual contemporary furnishings. It is formed entirely of scrolling members, enclosing a coved panel where the upholstery pattern is rendered as a low relief of Christ giving the keys to Peter. Large angelic figures flank an openwork panel beneath a highly realistic bronze seat cushion, vividly empty: the relic is encased within.[2] The cathedra is lofted on splayed scrolling bars that appear to be effortlessly supported by four over-lifesize bronze Doctors of the Church: Western doctors St. Ambrose and St. Augustine of Hippo on the outsides, wearing miters, and Eastern doctors St. John Chrysostom and St. Athanasius on the insides, both bare-headed. The cathedra appears to hover over the altar in the basilicas apse, lit by a central tinted window through which light streams, illuminating the gilded glory of sunrays and sculpted clouds that surrounds the window. Like Berninis Ecstasy of St Theresa, this is a definitive fusion[3] of the Baroque arts, unifying sculpture and richly polychrome architecture and manipulating effects of light. Above, on the golden background of the frieze, is the Latin inscription: O Pastor Ecclesiae, tu omnes Christi pascis agnos et oves (O pastor of the Church, you feed all Christs lambs and sheep). On the right is the same writing in Greek.[4] Behind the altar is placed Berninis monument enclosing the wooden chair, both of which are seen as symbolic of the authority of the Bishop of Rome as Vicar of Christ and successor of Saint Peter. Artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini Year 1647–53 Catalogue 61 Type Sculpture Material Gilt bronze Location St. Peters Basilica, Vatican City
Posted on: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 02:49:07 +0000
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