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What is the Cathedra Petri in St. Peter’s Basilica?
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Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Apollo and Daphne, marble sculpture by Lorenzo Bernini, 1622–25; in the Borghese Gallery, Rome.
The Cathedra Petri, or the Chair of St. Peter, is a magnificent bronze cathedra located in the apse of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
Designed by the renowned Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, this masterpiece is a vast, dazzling work that covers the entire end of the basilica. It features a teeming multitude of figures and serves as a prominent example of Bernini’s mature, religious Baroque style, which sought to organize architecture, painting, and sculpture into an overwhelming effect on the senses.12