Vatican artisans work to restore tip of St. Peter's Basilica

Published: 2005-06-15

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Scaffolding now covers the tip of St. Peter's Basilica as Vatican workers restore the highest point of the centuries-old church. The basilica undergoes constant maintenance and repairs by the Vatican's team of "sanpietrini," the church's specialized artisans and workers. Now one of their latest projects is cleaning and mending the lantern -- an open, circular structure -- and a gold-coated, bronze sphere, both of which top the basilica's massive dome. "It's a huge task, taking almost a month just to put up the scaffolding," said Archbishop Angelo Comastri, head of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the Vatican office responsible for the basilica. The difficulty lay in transporting and mounting the heavy scaffolding to heights of more than 400 feet, he told Catholic News Service June 15. That task was delegated to the Fabbrica's team of "pontarolli" or "catwalkers," so called because of their expertise in climbing and working at dizzying heights.

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