The Vatican is installing a set of nine, bullet-proof and shatter-proof glass panels in front of one of its most famous works of art, Michelangelo’s marble Pietà sculpture in St Peter’s Basilica. Source: CNS
The new glass panes were crafted for improved security and “maximum transparency” to improve visibility for the thousands of visitors who stream through Christianity’s largest church each day, according to the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the office responsible for the upkeep of the basilica.
“Specially designed by a team of experts, it will be equipped with an innovative high-tech anchoring system, carefully studied in every component for the best protection and enjoyment of the venerated and admired sculpture,” the office said on its website on Monday.
In the runup to the Holy Year 2025, restoration work on the side Chapel of the Pietà, housing the sculpture, and the glass barrier in front of it began in May. Work is expected to finish in September, the website said.
Because the sculpture will not be visible to the public during that time, the basilica was showcasing its “official” copy, a plaster replica created by Francesco Mercatali in 1943.
It moved the replica in mid-July from the basilica’s museum in the Vatican sacristy to the front of the chapel that is blocked off to visitors for the restoration.
The enormous sculpture, carved from a single block of Carrara marble, has been protected by a transparent barrier ever since Hungarian-born Australian geologist Laszlo Toth attacked it with a hammer in 1972.
Michelangelo was just 23 years old when he sculpted the piece in just nine months between 1498 and 1499, according to the Fabbrica website. It is the only sculpture the artist signed when he inscribed his name on a ribbon falling from Mary’s shoulder.
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Michelangelo’s Pieta’ getting new high-security barrier before Jubilee Year (By Carol Glatz, CNS)
