Restoration work unveils hidden details inside Rome's historic Basilica

Restorers perched on scaffolding that reaches the ceiling of Rome's Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli are working to bring new light to the church that houses one of Michelangelo's most famous masterpieces, the Moses.

The basilica, named for the chains that supposedly held Saint Peter in Jerusalem and later in Rome's Mamertine Prison, shows a complex layering of construction phases, from Roman era remains to Renaissance decorations.

The current works focus on restoring decorative elements and plaster on the side aisles and the transept, as well as the altars and funerary monuments.

Several metres above the floor, specialists are stripping away a greyish layer of paint that covers the original surface of the ceiling, aiming to reveal colours dating back to the late 15th century.

"We are bringing to light the polychrome coats of arms, which had been obscured and concealed by this monochrome paint at some unknown point in time," said Alessandra Centroni, the architect overseeing the project.

Funded through Italy's EU-backed post-pandemic recovery plan, the operation is nearing its final stage, expected in summer 2026. It has already uncovered decorations now visible on the ceiling of the right aisle.

The ornaments were commissioned by the Della Rovere family, who held patronage over the basilica during the Renaissance. One cardinal from the family, elected as Pope Julius II, also commissioned Michelangelo to craft his monumental tomb inside the church.

Michelangelo devoted four decades to the funerary project, whose centrepiece is the 2.35‑metre statue of Moses. The marble figure is rendered with such realism that it appears almost alive, with finely carved anatomical details such as the contraction of the forearm muscle.

Once the restoration is complete, Centroni said, Rome will "rediscover and restore all of the original brightness" of its historic basilica.

Production: Cristiano Corvino, Matteo Negri/Reuters