Pietà (Michelangelo) Religious Site

Address: St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City (Piazza San Pietro)

Website: http://www.vatican.va/

Admission: Free (entry to St. Peter’s Basilica to view Michelangelo’s Pietà)

The Pietà by Michelangelo is a marble sculpture carved in 1498-1499 and is located in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. It depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus and is one of Michelangelo’s most famous early works.

Carved from a single block of Carrara marble, the piece is celebrated for its refined carving, anatomical detail and the serenity of Mary’s expression. The work is displayed indoors and attracts large numbers of visitors to the basilica.

The statue was commissioned by a French cardinal and completed by Michelangelo when he was a young sculptor in Rome. After a 1972 attack that caused significant damage it was restored and placed behind protective glass to prevent further vandalism.

The Pietà sits within St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, in the first chapel to the right as visitors enter the central nave, where it remains accessible to the public as part of the basilica’s collections.

• 1972 attack and protection: The sculpture was badly damaged in 1972 and subsequently restored; it is now protected behind bulletproof glass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
• Michelangelo’s signature: Michelangelo carved the work early in his career, completing it while he was in his early twenties and signing it on the sash across Mary’s chest.

Michelangelo’s Pietà is inside St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City at the front right as you enter the basilica from St. Peter’s Square. The basilica is reached on foot from Rome Metro Line A - get off at Ottaviano-San Pietro and walk about 10-15 minutes to St. Peter’s Square (Cipro station is also nearby). The Vatican is in central Rome; from Fiumicino Airport expect roughly a 30-45 km drive into the city.

• See Michelangelo's Pietà early in the morning right after St. Peter's Basilica opens to avoid peak crowds; it's housed to the right of the basilica's central nave and is usually cordoned with limited viewing space.
• Note that the sculpture has been protected behind glass since the 1972 attack-allow a few minutes to read the nearby conservation plaque and appreciate the work from the roped viewing area before other visitors arrive.