The apse, or altar area, is the most important place in any cathedral. If, at the moment when you are in the basilica, no service is taking place there, try to get as close to the apse as possible.
The most outstanding attraction in this part of the cathedral is the Chair of St. Peter, created from a design by Bernini in 1666. Of course, in the time of the Apostle Peter such a sumptuous throne could not have existed - he sat on an ordinary wooden chair, which was later reinforced and decorated, and it is now located inside this monument.
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It is worth noting that the decoration of the Chair is far from accidental. Take a closer look: four Doctors of the Church - Ambrose of Milan, Athanasius the Great, John Chrysostom, and Blessed Augustine - hold the Apostle's chair, above which a dove is depicted in a golden radiance – a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Visually, it seems that the Holy Spirit descends upon Peter and the pontiffs.
Immediately to the right of the Chair is the tomb of Pope Urban VIII, also by Bernini, and to the left is the tomb of Pope Paul III by Guglielmo della Porta, one of Michelangelo's students.
