Italy

Where and how to see Michelangelo's Pieta in Rome

Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in Rome
Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in Rome

In your tourist trip to Rome you have the great opportunity to see one of the jewels of the Renacimiento, the sculpture of La Piedad de Michelangelo Buonarroti.

But when we arrive in Rome, not all of us know where this great work of art history in the world is located.

La sculpture of the Pieta It is a work of youth Miguel Angel, since he made it when he was only 24 years old, but despite his youth, it is one of the great masterpieces of the Florentine artist, also author of the Sistine Chapel.

Where to see Michelangelo's Pieta

But you know Where to see Michelangelo's Pieta?

If you didn't know, I will tell you that you can see this beautiful and famous sculpture in the St. Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican.

History of Michelangelo's Pieta

La Piety It is a commission that he gave to the young man Miguel Angel a Benedictine cardinal, who was the French ambassador to the Holy See.

Miguel AngelHe had just arrived in Rome in 1496, once leaving his hometown of Florence. and at that time the great genius of Renacimiento He was in a time of great artistic creation.

La sculpture of the Pieta He completed it in just one year, finishing it in 1499.

In that first stage of Michelangelo in Rome he also produced other famous works, such as the David sculpture what you can see in the Gallery of the Accademia of Florence.

El sculpture complex of La Piedad It has dimensions of 174 by 195 centimeters.

The same Miguel Angel He chose the large block of marble from some quarries in the region of Tuscany from which he sculpted the artistic work.

How to see La Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica

The cardinal who commissioned the sculpture Miguel Angel He died shortly before finishing it, so its first location was the tomb of said cardinal, in one of the chapels of the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

In the 1749 sculpture of La Piedad was moved to its current location.

When you walk into the St. Peter's Basilica, you will not have loss to locate Michelangelo's Pieta, as it is located in the first chapel that you can see to the right of the entrance.

The problem you may have is getting close to the railing from where you can contemplate this beautiful sculptural group.

The number of visitors who crowd in front of said railing is such that it is really not easy to be able to enjoy the beauty that it transmits to us with peace of mind. Michelangelo's Pieta.

In addition, you will see it behind a security glass, which was installed after the attack that the work suffered in May 1972.

In any case, go see Michelangelo's Pieta in the Vatican It is, without a doubt, one of the obligatory stages in your trip to Rome.

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About the Author

José Luis Sarralde

Journalist and traveler throughout his life, José Luis Sarralde is the founder of Guías Viajar, where since 2008 he has been capturing his travel experiences around the world, specializing in cultural and scenic destinations in Spain and Europe.

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