Location in St Peter's
 

Clementine Chapel
Completed 1600
  

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Known as the "Clementine" Chapel after Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) who commissioned its decorative cycle to include precious marbles, mosaics and stucco surfaces, on occasion of the Great Jubilee Year 1600.

On the marble pavement the Papal coat of arms is delineated, while above, the cupola is decorated with mosaics and gilt stucco reliefs designed by Cristofo Roncalli (known as the "Pomarancio") in 1603

To the left: Funerary Monument of Pope Pius VII (1800-1823), designed and executed by the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen in 1831.

"You are Peter and on this rock I will edify my Church"
(Matthew 16, 18)

The Clementine Chapel and adjacent spaces contain the Altar of St. Gregory the Great, Monument to Pius VII, Altar of the Lie and Altar of the Transfiguration


Clementine Chapel
Dome

 


Altar of
St Gregory the Great

 

 

 

 

From: 'St. Peter's - Guide to the Basilica and Square'
The Clementine Chapel was commissioned by Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605), whose coat of arms stands out against the paving. It was begun by Michelangelo and completed by Giacomo Della Porta (1540-1602) for the Jubilee in 1600. The altar is dedicated to St. Gregory the Great (590-604). In a sarcophagus beneath the altar his remains are preserved, brought here in 1606. This Pope, also called the "Savior of the Church" and the "Defender of Rome", is associated with the name of the Gregorian chant or plainsong which he promoted.

From: 'The Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican' by Franco Cosimo Panini
Conceived as a pendant to the Gregorian Chapel on the other side of the Basilica, the Clemenine Chapel occupies the southeast corner of the original centrally-planned layout and consists of a central space covered by a copula and of two small aisles extending north towards the nave and west towards the south transept. The chapel takes its name from Clement VIII, the pope who - for the Jubile of 1600 - commissioned its rich decoration of colored marbles, stuccos and mosaics inspired by the history of salvation and the life of Christ.

 

Spandrels (1559-1603) on the Vault of the Clementine Chapel
From designs by Cristoforo Roncalli known as Pomarancio (1552-1626)


St John Chrysostom
NorthWest

St Anthanasius
NorthEast

St Ambrose
SouthEast

St Augustine
SouthWest