Some of the lesser-known treasures at San Pietro in Vincoli basilica in Rome, known for Michelangelo’s massive marble statue of Moses, are finally being restored.
Thanks to an infusion of European Union pandemic recovery funding, a frenzied series of restorations at religious, historic and cultural sites around the Eternal City are popping up.
On Monday, restorer Melanie Khanthajan climbed up a series of ladders with her toolbox to her perch on the scaffolding near the basilica ceiling, 20 meters (65 feet) off the floor. Using a scalpel, she painstakingly scraped off layers of plaster on serpentine decorations around a coat of arms on the vaulted ceiling, a technique called "descialbo.”
"Every removal of a layer surprises us because it allows us to understand what it is like, what emerges,” she explained. "So for us it’s wonderful, it’s a discovery every day.”
The ceilings, altar, tombs, marble columns and decorations of the basilica are being cleaned and restored with a 2-million-euro ($2.3 million) EU recovery grant that is keeping Khanthajan and 10 other restorers busy.
The city of Rome received 500 million euros ($579 million) in European funds for the "Caput Mundi” projects to be used on over 100 cultural renovations in the city. "Caput Mundi” was a term used by ancient Romans to mean "the head of the world.” According to an agreement with the EU, the funds must be used before the end of 2026.
The basilica is just a few steps from Rome’s Colosseum and gets its name, "vincoli,” from the Latin "vincula” for chains. A glass box at the center of the altar holds ancient chains, relics that, according to tradition, were used to hold St. Peter in Jerusalem. According to tradition, they then miraculously fused together with the chains used on Peter when he was held in the Mamertine prison in Rome.
The basilica was built in the 5th century under the Eastern Roman Empire and then in the 16th century Pope Julius II had the church partially rebuilt, adding his noble family Della Rovere’s coat of arms with an oak tree at the center on the ceilings, arches and chapels. The coat of arms and other decorations are the focus of the restoration.
The main attraction of the basilica is the sculpture of Moses, made by Michelangelo in 1513 to decorate the funeral monument of Julius. The Moses is not part of the restoration but will get a dusting off when the job is done.
"The works started about eight months ago and will end by May 2026,” said Ilaria Sgarbozza, the scientific director of the restoration project. "Let’s say it’s a very fast pace.”
