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Treasures of the Church- Holy Sites |
San pietro in ciel d'oro
by SCTJM
 San
Pietro in Ciel d'Oro (Italian for "Saint Peter's
in the Golden Sky") is a Roman Catholic basilica
of the Augustinians in Pavia, Italy. Pope
Benedict XVI visited here in April of 2007. The
earliest news that we have of this Basilica
dates to the year 604 AD. The building is not
the original one. It follows another that was in
early-Christian style, with simple columns and a
wooden ceiling. The current Basilica, in
Romanic-Lombard form, dates to the twelfth
century. It was consecrated by Pope Innocent II
in 1132. It inherited the name of “ciel d’oro”
(golden sky) because the wooden ceiling of the
early-Christian church was decorated with
golden-colored paint. The exterior is simply of
brick. The basilica is mentioned by Dante,
Petrarca and Boccaccio.
The Basilica has three naves. At the end of the
right nave, the floor of the apse shows the
remains of a mosaic of the twelfth century. In
the left nave, which is still the original
construction, there are traces of frescoes from
the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The
majestic vault of the central nave was rebuilt
in 1487 by the architect Giacomo Da Candia of
Pavia.
The church is the resting place for the remains
of St. Augustine of Hippo. The presbytery is
dominated by the marble Ark of St Augustine,
raised on a crypt. This is a masterpiece of
Lombard sculpture of the fourteenth century. It
is decorated with 95 statues. In 1327 Pope John
XXII issued the papal bull Veneranda Santorum
Patrum, in which he appointed the Augustinians
guardians of the tomb of St. Augustine, which
was remade in 1362 and elaborately carved with
scenes from St. Augustine’s life. These include
St. Augustine’s conversion, his baptism, the
miracles after his death, and the transfer of
his relics to Pavia.
There is also a crypt in which is buried
Severino Boezio. The soul of this great consul,
senator, philosopher, is mentioned by Dante in
the tenth canto of “il Paradiso.” To the right
of the crypt lies the body of Liutprando, king
of the Longbards. He was rendered for ever
meritorious for the splendor that he assured
this Basilica by transferring holy relics of St.
Augustine in the year 724 from Sardinia. These
relics, discovered in the crypt in 1695, now lie
in a silver urn at the foot of the marble Ark.
The sacristy of the Basilica is impressive. With
a ribbed vault, it is rich in “grotesque”
decorations, attributed to the sixteenth
century. There is also a seventeenth century
canvas portraying St Augustine conversing with
St. Jerome. The two marble altars are by the
sculptor Giovanni Scapolla, native of Pavia. One
is dedicated to St. Rita, dating to 1940. The
other, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, dates to
1963.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
Copyright © 2006- SCTJM
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