A Guide to St Peter's Basilica

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Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament

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Ciborium, Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament

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Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament        

The decoration of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament was undertaken by the three titans of the Roman Baroque, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), Francesco Borromini (1599-1667) and Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669).

Borromini designed the beautiful wrought-iron gates, bearing the coat of arms of Pope Urban VIII (r. 1623-44), through which we enter the chapel. There we see the gilded bronze ciborium, the work of Bernini, which he modelled on the lines of Bramante’s Tempietto. Pietro da Cortona’s contribution takes the form of the altarpiece, a depiction of the Trinity, which is the only oil painting in the entire basilica.

The richly decorated vault was created by Giacomo Perugino to designs by Pietro da Cortona. 

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Vault