Holy Land: The Medici Altar Returns to the Holy Sepulcher
The altar of the Latin Chapel of Calvary, after being restored in Italy, returned to its place in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on February 12, 2025. Donated to the Custody of the Holy Land in 1595 by Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, the bronze altar has been restored to its original splendor.
In April 2024, several works belonging to the Holy Land Museum in Jerusalem were sent to Florence, where the restoration work was carried out by a workshop specializing in religious gold and silverwork.
The altar is composed of two parts. The upper part, a gift from Ferdinando de' Medici and created between 1587 and 1591, is made of gilded bronze and features six bas-reliefs illustrating the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, in the same style as those in the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence.
Originally designed to cover the Anointing Stone, this piece proved too small upon its arrival in Jerusalem. It was therefore placed under the north arch of the Chapel of the Crucifixion and used as an altar by the Franciscan friars.
The lower part is made of wrought iron. Created in the 19th century by the friars with the help of craftsmen from the ironworks of the Convent of the Holy Savior, it complemented the first, older part. The Medici altar was placed in the Chapel of Calvary in the 1940s during restoration work and has never been moved or restored since.
(Sources : cath.ch/custodia/DICI n°454 – FSSPX.Actualités)
Illustration : Custodie de Terre sainte
