US EditionVatican Completes Official Mosaic Portrait of Pope Leo XIV for Papal Basilica
The mosaic portrait follows an ancient tradition after papal election and will be installed in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, completed eight months after Pope Leo XIV's election.
- The Holy See Press Office said on Wednesday that the Vatican Mosaic Studio of the Fabric of Saint Peter completed a mosaic medallion of Pope Leo XIV at Cardinal James Michael Harvey's request.
- Historically, the Vatican Mosaic Studio traces its roots to Pope Gregory XIII's sixteenth-century commission of Girolamo Muziano, continuing the papal election tradition of mosaic portraits.
- Studio artisans crafted a 137-centimeter roundel using glass enamels and gold with ancient cut-mosaic technique and oil-based mastic on a metal support.
- The mosaic will hang next to Pope Francis's portrait in the right nave of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls at about 13 meters high, while the preparatory sketch will be preserved at the Fabric of Saint Peter in the Vatican.
- The studio also performs conservation work and accepts commissions, and can be visited by appointment, continuing its dual role in basilica mosaic care.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The Tablet
Vatican Completes Official Mosaic Portrait of Pope Leo XIV for Papal Basilica
by Tablet Staff (OSV News) – The Vatican has completed the official mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV, continuing a centuries-old tradition that marks the election of each new pontiff. The circular mosaic, known as a tondo, was created by the Vatican Mosaic Studio of the Fabric of St. Peter’s and will be installed in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The pontiff blessed artists Jan. 14, smiling at the sight of his own image, even as he b…
National Catholic Register
Mosaic Bearing Pope Leo XIV’s Portrait Readied for St. Paul Outside the Walls
Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV next to the new mosaic of him that will be added to St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica in Rome. Thanks to the skill and experience of its mosaic artists, who still use ancient technical and artistic methods, mosaics are produced that are inspired by masterpieces of sacred and secular art.
Photo Gallery: Leo XIV Now Has An Official Mosaic to Enrich St. Paul's Basilica, and This Is How He Reacted When It Was Shown to Him - ZENIT
(ZENIT News / Rome, 01.15. 2026) – The Vatican Mosaic Workshop of the Fabric of St. Peter’s has completed the mosaic tondo dedicated to the new Pontiff, following the ancient tradition that accompanies the election of each Pope. Just over eight months after the election of Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican Mosaic Workshop has completed the mosaic portrait for the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, at the request of the Archpriest of the Basilica, C…
The Study of the Vatican Mosaic of the Fabbrica di San Pietro has completed the mosaic dedicated to Pope Leo XIV, following the historical tradition that
The Vatican Mosaic Workshop showed Pope Leo XIV this Wednesday the mosaic with his face that will be placed in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, according to the tradition that accompanies the election of each pontiff. A little more than eight months after the election, on May 8, the Mosaic Study of [...] The entry Leo XIV already has its mosaic in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls was first published in Information Focus.
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