On Wednesday, Pope Francis saw the ancient wooden throne that symbolizes the primacy of the first Pope, the relic of the Chair of St. Peter, as part of restoration work being carried out in St. Peter’s Basilica.
“This morning in the Ottoboni sacristy in St. Peter’s Basilica, at the end of Holy Mass, Pope Francis was able to see the Chair of Sancti Petri Apostoli,” said a brief statement from the Holy See Press Office.
The chair, the note specifies, is “the ancient wooden throne, symbol of the primacy of Peter, removed during the restoration work on the Bernini monument in the apse of the Basilica dedicated to the See.”
Father Enzo Fortunato, director of communications for St. Peter’s Basilica, that “the restoration work has begun and since he was in the Basilica he wanted to see it. He saw the various works, including the cathedra.”
The relic was brought by the Fabrica di San Pietro, which is directed by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, and was presented to the Holy Father during the opening Mass of the second session of the Synod on Synodality.