FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF PETER

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 2001 (VIS) - Today is the annual feast of the "Cathedra Petri," the Chair of St. Peter, a celebration dating back to the 4th century and one which honors the primacy and authority of St. Peter.

Cathedra, from both the Greek and Latin words for chair or throne, is the root of the word cathedral, the official church of a bishop where his chair is placed and from which he preaches: It is thus a symbol of his authority to teach. Another word for chair is "sedes," from which we get the word "see," that is, the place from which a bishop governs his diocese. The Holy See, for example, is the see or seat of the bishop of Rome, the Pope.

The Chair of Peter, which is commemorated today, was thought for centuries to be the episcopal seat, or cathedra, of St. Peter. It is actually a throne that Charles the Bald, grandson of the Emperor Charlemagne, gave to Pope John VIII on Christmas Day 875 when the pontiff crowned him as emperor. The chair has been ensconced since 1666 above an altar in the apse of the Vatican Basilica specifically designed for it by Bernini.

A combination of tradition, legend and belief maintained that this was a double chair, parts of which dated back to the early days of Christianity and the first Pope, St. Peter. However, when it was removed from its niche in the Bernini altar for study and restoration during a six-year period (1968 to 1974), it was revealed that there was only a single chair, predominantly of acacia wood, whose oldest parts dated to the 6th century. What appeared to be an outer or second chair was a covering which served both to protect the throne and to carry it in procession.

Following this restoration Msgr. Michele Maccarrone, a Vatican expert on the Chair of St. Peter and president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, wrote a paper on the cathedra. He said that, among the interesting facts discovered during these six years, two stand out: the back panels of the throne, which replaced early columns and arches, depict the Labors of Hercules; and previously-used ivory was also incorporated into the chair.

Throughout its history, he wrote, the Chair of St. Peter has been considered under two perspectives: the chair-symbol (the symbol of Peter's primacy: in ancient times the chair or cathedra was the sign of teaching authority) and the chair-object (that is, the throne of Charles the Bald, used by John VIII and many of his successors for liturgical events).

It is customary for the Bernini monument to be lit by numerous candles throughout its February 22 feast day.

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