The Baldacchino is yet another masterful work in the Vatican by Bernini. This bronze covering of the High Altar marking the Tomb of St. Peter, is extremely large, and will draw your eye as you enter the basilica, even though it is about 200 feet away. The detail is amazing, with an allegory of the birth of Christ in the heraldic coats of the Barberini family around the base.

When TV shows that the Pope holds masses in St. Peter's Basilica like Easter or Christmas, or more recently, the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, one will always see this iconic structure. And wow, the scale of this is massive in person. It is dominant inside the basilica. The architecture and art surrounding it makes people mesmerized, and I was no exception.

This is one of those things that you cannot possibly appreciate without seeing. It’s just too hard to get your head around the scale and sheer size without standing in front of it. From a distance, it looks not unlike a canopy for a four poster bed. Up close, it simply dwarves everything and people look tiny. The four columns are 20 metres tall and the angels at the corners are twice life-size. Commissioned by Pope Urban VIII, the baldachin was created by the papacy’s favourite sculptor, Bernini in 1633. It is of course decorative but it was also designed with the purpose of marking the location of St. Peter’s tomb, beneath the High Altar. A curious and strangely explicit series of images can be seen on the plinths. Each plinth has two Barberini family crests, which you would expect to see (the ones with the bees). What’s unexpected is that above each one is a small woman’s face. Taken together, they seem to show her going through childbirth. The final face is a baby being born. The meaning of the faces can only be guessed at. According to most they represent the labor and suffering of the papacy and the Church in bringing about salvation or new life. However an alternate (and my preferred) story is that this young woman is Pope Urban’s niece. He promised to dedicate a special altar in St Peter’s if she survived a complicated pregnancy. A more salacious story is that Bernini was taking a secret revenge on the Pope who would not acknowledge Bernini’s nephew’s illegitimate child.

St. Peter's Baldachin is a great example of a large Baroque sculpted bronze canopy, technically called a ciborium or baldachin, over the high altar of St. Peter's. The four columns are actually 20 metres or 66 feet high, but they misleadingly small within the enormous context of the Cathedral. Commissioned by Pope Urban VIII, the work began in 1623 and ended in 1634. It really is something to see, and you will be naturally drawn to it which is one of its purposes.

Peter's Baldachin Is hard to miss and is a focal point within St. Peter's Basilica. Plan to spend a few minutes looking at this and at least an hour in the Basilica itself. Entrance to this area is free but it is closed Wednesday mornings for a Papal mass. There are many other beautiful sculptures and items to look at in the Basilica as well. This area never seemed too crowded when we visited so we had time to admire it.

This is a bronze canopy sculpted by Bernini above the main altar inside the Basilica of St Peter. It is nearly 100 feet high and is located underneath the basilica’s dome. A magnificent work of art.