Cathedra St. Peter
The annual feast of cathedra petri at Rome
A wooden seat (cathedra) was given by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Bald to Pope John VIII in 875 to be used during the Charles’ coronation as emperor at Christmas day in the old St. Peter’s Basilica. A depiction of the emperor appears on the crossbeam of the chair.
This chair is considered to be the seat St Peter used, and thus called the “Cathedra Sancti Petri Apostoli”: symbol of the Petrine primacy. It reminds visitors of the Roman Catholic Church's authority, and symbolizes the continuing line of apostolic succession from St. Peter to the reigning Pope.
“The Church’s first ‘seat’ was the upper room in Jerusalem. After that, Peter’s ministry began in Antioch on February 22, where he served as bishop for 7 years, and began in Rome on January 18. His See in Rome, became recognized as the seat of his successors, with the cathedra representing the mission entrusted to Peter by Jesus the Christ.
The Chair of Saint Peter is the 2nd altar within the basilica. The 1st one being the one under St. Peter's Baldachin, which is straight above his grave:
The Cathedra
The chair (cathedra) became the wooden portable chair of the Apostolic confession, from where the newly baptized priests received the Sacrament of Confirmation from the Pope. From this place of confirmation, on each 22 February this chair was brought to the high altar, where normally the 2nd chair of St. Peter stood, made of marble and built into the wall of the apse and normally used by each Pope for the regular services.
In order to preserve this precious relic for posterity, Pope Alexander VII (1655-67) commissioned Bernini to construct a gigantic casing at the place where the Cathedra Petri normally was placed, above the apsidal altar of St. Peter's:
To protect the chair, the architect G.L. Bernini created a large monument in gilded bronze, which he completed in 1666 after 10 years of particularly demanding and onerous work, especially the fusion of the bronze statues and elements, weighing 74 ton. The throne, containing the relic, is flanked by two angels in animated glory, and is crowned with the papal insignia of the keys + tiara, reaching a height of 15 m.
The bronze-gilded throne is set against a backdrop of golden clouds, above the main altar, which is composed of black and white marble from Aquitaine and red jasper from Sicily. On each 22 February, Bernini’s monument is illuminated with over a hundred candles:
On the back of the throne, Christ is depicted entrusting Peter with the leadership of the Church. At the sides there are bas-reliefs depicting the “Consignment of the keys” on the right (Mt 16:18-19) and the “Washing of the feet” on the left (Jn 13: 5-11). Four statues of the Greek and Latin Doctors of the Church, almost six metres high, border the throne: the front two represent Saint Ambrose (left) and Saint Augustine (right), while in the second row there are the statues of Saint Athanasius (left) and Saint John Chrysostom (right).
On the chair itself, there are three gold bas-reliefs representing the Gospel episodes of the consignment of the keys (Matthew 16:19), “feed my sheep” (John 21:17), and the washing of the feet (John 13:1-17).
In the upper part of this gigantic structure, the central window of the apse is closed by a stained-glass window with the dove of the Holy Spirit which, located about 20 m. high:
Bernini arranged prominent niches for four of the important holy relics housed (or once housed) within the basilica: the Veil of Veronica, part of the True Cross, a piece of the Holy Lance, and the skull of St. Andrew the Apostle.
Archeologists determined that only the acacia wood skeleton of this chair in its current form dates back to Peter's period. The rest of it is composed of oak, bound to the original skeleton by strips of iron. It is believed to be a reconstruction, made just before Charles’ gift and coronation. This includes 18 ivory plaques featured in the bottom portion of the throne, depicting sketches of Hercules and various constellations:
Pope Francis decided to show the newly-restored chair (knights of Columbus) to the public on 27 October 2024, in front of the baldachin. Then, the next day in front of the right front pillar, until 8 December 2024:
The feast of the Chair of St. Peter
This feast on each Feb. 22, dates back to the 4th century, where St. Jerome wrote in a letter: “I follow no leader save Christ, so I enter into communion with … the Chair of Peter, for this I know is the rock upon which the Church is built.”
The importance of this feast of St Peter’s chair was heightened by the fact that Feb. 22 was considered the anniversary of the day when Peter bore witness, by the Sea of Tiberias, to the Divinity of Christ and was again appointed by Jesus the Christ to be the Rock of His Church.
Traditionalist Catholics who use older calendars continue to celebrate both feast days: Saint Peter's Chair at Rome on January 18 and his Chair at Antioch on February 22.
“Kissing of St. Peter's Feet on 29/6 in St. Peter’s Basilica”
13th C. bronze St Peter on marble see holding keys and blessing visitors
In the Roman Catholic Church, the word “Cathedra” means the seat of the bishop, placed in the mother church of a diocese, therefore the name "cathedral".
It is also the symbol of a Catholic bishop’s authority and his 'magisterium', the evangelical teaching which, as a claimed successor of the apostles, he is called to safeguard/transmit to his community. From this seat, as teacher & pastor, he will guide the journey of the faithful in faith, hope, & charity.
St. Peter in marble chair statue and bronze chair statue