Summary
Restorers working in Rome have begun cleaning and restoring parts of San Pietro in Vincoli basilica, using European Union pandemic recovery funds that the city says are tied to heritage projects due to be completed by a stated deadline. The work has included detailed ceiling conservation carried out from scaffolding high above the floor, along with broader restoration efforts across the site’s interiors.
On Monday, restorer Melanie Khanthajan climbed to her perch near the basilica ceiling, about 20 meters (65 feet) above the floor, and began using a scalpel to peel back layers of plaster from serpentine decorations around a coat of arms. The approach, described in the project as “descialbo,” is aimed at revealing what is underneath the plastered surfaces, and Khanthajan said each removal can “surprise us” by showing what emerges beneath.
The basilica’s ceilings, altar, tombs, marble columns and decorations are being cleaned and restored as part of a project supported by a 2-million-euro grant from EU recovery funds, which is employing Khanthajan and 10 other restorers. The grant ties the conservation work to the city’s broader use of EU money for heritage, part of a larger restoration push that has been underway at multiple cultural and historic locations around Rome.
Rome received 500 million euros from EU funds for “Caput Mundi” projects, which the city described as covering over 100 cultural renovations. The program’s name reflects an ancient Roman term meaning “the head of the world,” and under the EU agreement, the funds must be used before the end of 2026.
San Pietro in Vincoli basilica is located near the Colosseum and takes its name, “vincoli,” from the Latin “vincula” for chains. A glass box at the center of the altar displays ancient chains and relics that, according to tradition, were used to hold St. Peter in Jerusalem, and that then “miraculously” fused with chains associated with Peter during his imprisonment in Rome.
The basilica dates to the 5th century under the Eastern Roman Empire, and in the 16th century Pope Julius II partially rebuilt the church, adding his family’s coat of arms—Della Rovere’s oak tree—along with additional decoration across ceilings, arches and chapels. The current restoration focuses on those coat-of-arms and other decorative elements, while the basilica’s best-known work, Michelangelo’s massive marble sculpture of Moses, is not part of the restoration itself beyond receiving a dusting once the job is complete.
Ilaria Sgarbozza, the scientific director of the restoration project, said the work started about eight months ago and that it will end by May 2026, describing the timeline as “a very fast pace.” The project’s pace reflects both the conservation demands of historic stone and plaster and the administrative deadlines attached to the EU recovery funding supporting the work.