There is a sculpture of Saint Peter at the Vatican. It is not an ordinary statue, it has some specialties. The statue of the saint looks like having a worn out foot. You may wonder how this could happen to a bronze statue.
St. Peter’s Basilica is rich with many invaluable works of art. Behind every work of art in the Vatican, there is a fascinating history. One of these is the bronze statue of the Apostle Peter. It dates back to the thirteenth century.
Located at the center of the basilica, the bronze statue of St. Peter is depicted as siting on a marble throne of the Renaissance period. The saint wearing Pallio filosofico. The right-hand is seen as blessing in the Greek style (with two fingers). The left hand which is close to the chest holds the keys of the kingdom of God. It is held to have been built by Arnolfo di Cambio in the late 1200s. There are also those who hold different opinions.
The Reason for the Worn-out FootÂ
There has been a popular tradition of respectfully touching the right foot of the statue of St. Peter, as an act of piety. Today we can see that the right leg of the statue looks worn-out due to this pious ritual of the pilgrims for centuries. How many crores of pilgrims’ hands must have touched that foot!
During the early period this very important sculpture was kept in the cloister of St. Martin in the ancient basilica. When the dome of the new basilica was completed, Pope Paul V moved it to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Tradition
From time immemorial, on the occasion of the great feasts, especially on the feast day of the Saints Peter and Paul, on June 29, this statue of Peter would be adorned with the Papal robes. They are made of purple-red and shiny gold threads. These are considered symbols of the reign of St. Peter. Red is reminiscent of patience and gold is reminiscent of royalty.
In the years 1798 and 1799 the government banned the adorning of the statue with papal robes. In the beginning the people did not take it seriously, but on the second occasion, suspicious rumors started circulating. There is also a story that the Roman rulers took possession of the ceremonial costume used to decorate the statue. The ceremony resumed after a short break anyway. Thereafter, on June 29, the Feast of the Roman Apostles, the statue of St. Peter continues to be adorned with the Papal robes.
All over the world, there are a number of replicas this statue of St. Peter. One of them is located in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.