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Skriven 2006-04-20 09:49:06 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
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                               VIS-Press releases

BASILICA OF ST. PETER'S CELEBRATES ITS FIFTH CENTENARY

VATICAN CITY, APR 20, 2006 (VIS) - In the Holy See Press Office at midday
today, a press conference was held to present the celebrations being organized
to mark the fifth centenary of St. Peter's Basilica.

Participating in the event were Cardinals Francesco Marchisano, archpriest of
the basilica, and Albert Vanhoye S.J., rector emeritus of the Pontifical
Biblical College; Archbishop Angelo Comastri and Bishop Vittorio Lanzani,
respectively president and delegate of the Fabric of St. Peter's; Antonio
Paolucci, superintendent of the Florentine Museums and curator of the
exhibition, "Petros Eni;" and Maria Cristina Carlo-Stella, bureau chief at the
Fabric of St. Peter's.

In his talk, Cardinal Marchisano traced a brief history of the basilica,
beginning with the emperor Constantine's original fourth-century construction.
By the end of the 14th century, in light of the frailty of the Constantinian
structure, pontiffs were desirous of building a new church, a project that
finally began on April 18, 1506 when Pope Julius II placed the first stone of
the current basilica. Work continued for a further 130 years and involved such
artists as Bramante, Sangallo, Michelangelo and Bernini.

The basilica, said the cardinal, possesses an extraordinary archive composed of
3,050,000 documents concerning the work carried out from the beginning to our
own times. It is, he added, one of the most visited sites in the world, with
between five and 20 thousand people crossing its doors each day.

For his part, Archbishop Comastri recalled that in 1939, "by decision of Pope
Pius XII, excavation work began under St. Peter's Basilica. To great
astonishment, the ancient necropolis interred by Constantine's architects in
the year 320 came to light. Moving up the slopes of the Vatican hill, a small
monument was found, identified as the 'Tropaion of Gaius;' this discovery was
followed by that of the famous red wall with the graffiti 'Petros eni' and a
series of other graffiti all testifying to the devotion to Peter in this
place."

Bishop Lanzani's talk concerned the issuing of stamps and coins to commemorate
the anniversary.

"The Governorate of Vatican City State will issue a series of commemorative
stamps of the value of 0.45 and 0.60 euros," he said. "The first represents the
commemorative medal of Bramante, produced by Cristoforo Foppa between the years
1505 and 1506. ... The second depicts the medal placed in the foundations of
the new St. Peters, also the work of Cristoforo Foppa." Both stamps bear the
inscription: "Templum Divi Petri in Vaticano 1506-1606."

The Fabric of St. Peter's will also mint two medals for the occasion, one in
silver and one in two different metals, the work of the Italian engraver Sergio
Giandomenico. One side shows the consignment of the keys to St. Peter against
the background of the basilica, with the emblem of the Fabric of St. Peter's
underneath and the inscription "Patriarcalis Basilica Principis Apostolorum
1506-1606" around the edge. On the other side is an image of the Holy Father
with the phrase "Benedictus XVI, Pontifex Maximus."
OP/CENTENARY VATICAN BASILICA/... VIS 060420 (510)

SUMMARY

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