This is an incredibly beautiful church, and it is the Holy Father's cathedral (contrary to what people think -- that it's St. Peter's).
Here are some Mass photos (at a side altar):
My Epic Catholic Church history study friends will appreciate this fact: In 897, the basilica was the scene of the "cadaver synod", when Pope VI (896–897) had the body of Pope Formosus (891-896) exhumed and put on a mock trial. The corpse was convicted and desecrated. During the synod, the basilica was, ominously, severely damaged by an earthquake.
The papal altar is itself a relic of a most interesting kind, being the actual wooden altar upon which St. Peter is believed to have celebrated Mass during his residence in Rome.
Above the high altar is the canopy or baldacchino, a Gothic structure resting on four marble columns, and decorated with paintings by Barna of Siena. In the upper part of the baldacchino are preserved the heads of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the great treasure of the basilica.
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