Medallion mosaic of Leo XIV to be installed in St Paul Outside the Walls.
The Vatican on Wednesday unveiled a large mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV destined for the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, continuing an ancient papal tradition.
The mosaic roundel comprises around 15,000 tiny glass enamel tiles, or tesserae, and was created by the Vatican studio of the Fabric of St Peter using a centuries-old technique.
The medallion, with a diameter of 137 centimetres, was based on an oil painting by master mosaic artist Rodolfo Papa, Vatican News reports.
The Mosaic of POPE Leo XIV at St. Paul Outside the Walls
The Pope received the mosaic that will be displayed in the papal basilica, sharing a moment with the artists and offering his blessing to those present
The basilica features an extensive series of portraits… pic.twitter.com/qFTfLD0lkR
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The artwork will join a frieze of mosaic portraits of all the popes since St Peter, as part of a tradition that accompanies the election of every pontiff.
The completion of the mosaic, which will be installed in a niche beside the portrait of Pope Francis in the right nave of the papal basilica, comes more than eight months after the election of Pope Leo XIV.
A niche awaits the mosaic of Pope Leo XIV at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls. Photo credit: essevu / Shutterstock.com.
The tradition of papal mosaics in St Paul’s dates back to the pontificate of Leo I in the fifth century, however most of the original mosaics were lost in the great fire of 1823 which devastated the church.
The custom was revived by Pope Pius IX during the massive effort to rebuild the basilica which was completed in 1854 during the pontificate of Gregory XVI.
Photo credit Vatican Media
