St. Peter's Baldachin
St. Peter's Baldachin is a large Baroque sculpted bronze canopy over the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica. The baldachin is at the center of the crossing and directly under the dome of the basilica. Designed by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, it was intended to mark, in a monumental way, the place of Saint Peter's tomb underneath. Standing 96 feet tall, it is approximately the height of a ten-story building and is the largest known bronze artwork in the world.
