A Guide to St Peter's Basilica

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Altar of the Transfiguration

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Altar of the Transfiguration

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Altar of the Transfiguration

One of the most beautiful mosaics in the basilica is this reproduction of Raphael's last painting, which he was still working on when he died on April 6th, 1520. Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, later Pope Clement VII (r. 1523-34), commissioned the painting for the cathedral at Narbonne in France. However, the painting was never sent to Narbonne, but remained in Rome in the church of San Pietro in Montorio until 1797, when Napoleon ordered it to be taken to Paris. It returned to the Vatican in 1815 and now hangs in the Pinacoteca.

It took a team of six craftsmen almost a decade to execute the mosaic, which was completed in 1767.

Underneath the altar lie the mortal remains of Pope Innocent XI (r. 1676-89), who was beatified on October 7th, 1956.