The Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle
Cathedrae S. Petri, apostoli
The Chair of Saint Peter, also known as the Throne of Saint Peter, is a relic conserved in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The relic is a wooden throne that tradition claims belonged to the Apostle Saint Peter, the leader of the Early Christians in Rome and first Pope, and which he used as Bishop of Rome. The relic is enclosed in a sculpted gilt bronze casing designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and constructed between 1647 and 1653. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI described the chair as "a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his Successors to tend Christ's flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity."
The wooden throne was a gift from Emperor of the Romans Charles the Bald to Pope John VIII in 875. It has been studied many times over the years, most recently between 1968 and 1974. The study concluded that it was not a double, but a single chair, with a covering, and that the oldest parts are from the 6th century. The Chair of Saint Peter is the second altar within the church, with the first one being the one under St. Peter's Baldachin. It stands to remind visitors of the Catholic Church's authority.
In January 2024, the Vatican Museums, Fabbrica di San Pietro, the Commission for the Protection of Monuments and other Vatican institutions announced a restoration campaign of the baldachin over the high altar and adjacent Altar of the Chair that was expected to cost approximately €700,000 and was funded by a gift from the Knights of Columbus. This was the first major work done in these areas since 1758.
Next
Not kept: February 22, 2026 is First Sunday of Lent
Readings at Mass
Every year
- Reading
- 1 Pet 5:1-4
- Responsorial Psalm
- Ps 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6
- Gospel Acclamation
- Mt 16:18
- Gospel
- Mt 16:13-19