ICCROM Mora Samples Collection
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Rome, Basilica di San Pietro: MRA-ITA-Rom323

Type Sample Item

Sample ID

MRA-ITA-Rom323

Sample Material Type

Mural painting

Sample Sub-type

fragment

Dimensions (cm)

Length
2
Width
1.2
Height
0.7
Notes
largest fragment

Weight

weight value (g)
1.4
Notes
all fragments together

Geographic Location

Country
Italy
Place
Rome

Site/monument

Italy (ITA)
Rome
Basilica di San Pietro

Historical note about the site/monument

Construction of Saint Peter’s Basilica was initiated in 1506 under Pope Julius II and completed more than a century later under Pope Paul V. It is a cruciform, three-aisled church with a prominent dome at the crossing, under which a shrine to St. Peter is located. Several notable architects took part in the creation of the basilica, among whom Bramante, Raphael, Giuliano da Sangallo, Fra Giovanni Giocondo, Antonio da Sangallo the Elder, Peruzzi, Michelangelo, and Andrea Sansovino can be listed. The dome of the basilica was designed by Michelangelo but was ultimately constructed according to a modified plan. The church’s lavish interior includes sculptural works by Bernini and Michelangelo and rich application of the pietra dura technique. The Vatican Necropolis (dating to the Roman period, also known in Italian as the Scavi di San Pietro) lies below the basilica.

Source:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "St. Peter's Basilica". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Feb. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saint-Peters-Basilica. Accessed 16 May 2021.

Further reading:
Rice, l. (1997). The altars and altarpieces of new St. Peter’s: outfitting the basilica, 1621-1666. Cambridge, U.K.; New York: Cambridge University Press, in association with the American Academy in Rome. ISBN-10: 0521554705.

Chronological period (sample)

16th-17th century

Other info about sample provenance

Old ID Reference: "Intonaco Tombe sotto S. Pietro" (hand-written note)

Inventory