Pieta reproduction to stay at St. Paul Cathedral

Posted at 1:14 PM on May 10, 2010 by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Sculpture

The original "Pietà" by Michelangelo, at home in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Thanks to a donation by someone who wishes to remain anonymous, St. Paul Cathedral gets to keep the reproduction of Michelangelo's famous Pietà, which depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of Jesus Christ after his death.

The marble casting of the original sculpture (housed in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome) has been on public view since February 17 (Ash Wednesday) in the Sacred Heart Chapel.

According to the Cathedral staff, a permanent place will be prepared for the sculpture, with a probable dedication in September.

The replica was created by two sister companies, Vescovo Buonarroti Art
and Vescovo Renaissance Art, overseen by American entrepreneur Steven Bishop. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Vatican Observatory Foundation, the scientific branch of the Vatican which supports astronomy and scientific research.

Here's a promotional video, put out by Bishop's company, about the sculpture at Saint Paul's Cathedral:

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