The first major restoration since the mid-1700s of the massive canopy at the center of the cathedral of St. Peter’s cathedral, in Rome, is now underway. Also known as the baldachin, the canopy dates to the 1620s-1630s and stands nearly 100 feet tall. Constructed of materials including marble, bronze, wood, iron and gold, it is built over the spot where St. Peter is believed to have been buried, having been martyred by Roman Emperor Nero. 

The work of Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini as well as architect Francesco Borromini, the structure has four nine-ton columns in a twisting shape, each adorned with gilded cherubs and laurels, with 2.5-ton sculptures of angels resting on their peaks.

Given its current state, “we can’t not intervene” to restore the structure, said Alberto Capitanucci, the head engineer of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the office of the Roman Catholic Church that oversees the maintenance of the basilica. Restorers from the Vatican Museums will take on the task. 

Workmen are mounting scaffolding around the 17th century bronze canopy on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. Photo by Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

The project will consist mostly of a thorough cleaning of the structure, which has accumulated dust and grime over the centuries, Pietro Zander, who oversees the artistic patrimony of the basilica, told the AP, which reported that some pieces are actually coming apart. This owes to frequent changes in temperature and humidity as up to 50,000 visitors per day troop through the cathedral. 

The first step will be to thoroughly document the structure in its current state, followed by cleaning of dust and dirt, removal of rust from the metal sections, and filling cracks in the wooden sections with acrylic resin, according to a report from the Catholic News Service.

The cost of the restoration, more than $750,000, is paid for entirely by the U.S.’s Knights of Columbus Catholic Charity and is expected to be finished by November, so that the newly restored piece can welcome pilgrims during the 2025 Jubilee, a special year of remission of sins and debts.

See more photos below.

Scaffolding surrounds the 17th-century, 95ft-tall bronze canopy by Giovan Lorenzo Bernini, which surmounts the papal Altar of the Confession, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, on February 21, 2024. Photo by Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

Workmen are mounting scaffolding around the 17th century, 95ft-tall bronze canopy by Giovan Lorenzo Bernini, which surmounts the papal Altar of the Confession in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. Photo by Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

Workmen are mounting scaffolding around the 17th century, 95ft-tall bronze canopy by Giovan Lorenzo Bernini, which surmounts the papal Altar of the Confession in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. Photo by Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images.