Pope Leo XIV will preside on Wednesday, November 18, at St. Peter’s Basilica, the Mass that will conclude the events of the fourth centenary of the dedication of the Vatican temple. The celebration will take place four centuries after Urban VIII solemnly consecrated the Renaissance basilica on November 18, 1626. The Pope will celebrate it the day after returning from his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, which concludes on November 17.
The closing Mass was already included in the program that Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of the basilica, presented on February 16 at the Holy See Press Office. At that time, he explained that the centenary year was an opportunity to revitalize “the profession of faith of the first Pope,” as Vatican News detailed. The celebrations have been organized around spiritual, cultural, and technological proposals.
A program of spirituality, culture, and technology
Among the centenary initiatives are a new Way of the Cross by Swiss artist Manuel Dürr, inaugurated in February inside the basilica; spiritual elevations with polyphonic singing on Saturdays at the Altar of the Chair; and meditations by Friar Roberto Pasolini, preacher of the Pontifical Household, on the figure of Peter on Tuesdays, October 28, November 4 and 11. An exhibition on the design and construction of the temple has also been organized, from Bramante’s sketches to the completion of the work by Maderno.
Added to this are new features for pilgrims: a digital access reservation system and an app that will translate liturgies, chants, and readings in real time into 60 languages. In addition, the Gregorian and Clementine domes and the complete terrace of the three apses have been opened to the public. InfoVaticana reported that the basilica will have a permanent structural monitoring system and the restoration of the mosaics of the Clementine Chapel.
Elizabeth Lev: from the tomb of Peter to the current basilica
On the occasion of the anniversary, OSV News interviewed art historian and author Elizabeth Lev, a guide in Rome for more than 25 years and professor at the Angelicum. Lev recalled that around the year 190 the site was a brick wall painted red with marble altars on a hillside, and that Constantine enclosed the tomb in a basilica in the fourth century. After about a thousand years, that building was leaning and had to be propped up with wood, until Julius II ordered it to be demolished and commissioned Bramante to build a new church over the apostle’s tomb.
The work, Lev explained, required about 120 years, twelve architects, and twenty popes. Michelangelo, who designed the dome and worked on it during the last 19 years of his life, dedicated himself, according to the historian, to “the glory of God, the honor of Saint Peter, and the salvation of my own soul.” Regarding the reaction of visitors, Lev stated that the basilica conveys awe and joy, and summarized its message as “no matter how dark things get, hope saves.” She also maintained that the restoration work financed by the Knights of Columbus recalls “the true purpose” of the temple: the veneration of the tomb of Saint Peter.