Vatican detains ex-worker who allegedly tried to sell relieve manuscript of Bernini’s basilica canopy

Vatican detains ex-worker who allegedly tried to sell relieve manuscript of Bernini’s basilica canopy

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ROME (AP) — Vatican police bask in detained a feeble worker on charges of attempted extortion after he allegedly tried to sell a 17th-century gilded manuscript describing Bernini’s designs for the altar canopy of St. Peter’s Basilica relieve to the Holy Be conscious.

Vatican prosecutors mentioned that the 18-page manuscript, which it sounds as if contains the first identified specifications for the gilding of the baldacchino canopy, had disappeared from the basilica archives.

The person implicated had worked for the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the entity that administers the basilica, and change into attempting to sell the manuscript to the Fabbrica when he change into arrested on Also can merely 27, in step with a commentary from prosecutors launched by the Holy Be conscious press space of industrial.

The commentary steered that Vatican legislation enforcement had with out a doubt convey a trap: They launched an investigation after the basilica first made a criticism in regards to the manuscript, after which adopted the negotiations for the possess of it unless money with out a doubt exchanged fingers on Also can merely 27 in the Vatican.

The feeble worker has been in Vatican detention ever since.

Italy’s Domani newspaper, which reported on the case Thursday, mentioned the provenance of the manuscript and whether it had beforehand been in the basilica archives is in dispute. It quoted an art historian, a chum of the accused, who mentioned that there’s now not any impress of the manuscript in the catalogue of basilica archives since now not now not as much as 1900.

The ten-legend excessive baldacchino is the four-pillared canopy covering the most most primary altar of the basilica, which change into designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the 1620s-1630s to provide a big and ceremonial covering for the tomb of St. Peter below.

It is considered one among basically the most complex multi-materials artworks of its time, that contains marble, bronze, wood, gold and iron, and that contains gilded cherubs and laurel branches twisting around the 9-ton columns.

The canopy is currently shrouded in scaffolding for a months-prolonged cleaning and restoration.

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