10 - A reconstruction of the oratory of John VII (705–7)

Summary

This chapter proposes a reconstruction of one of the medieval chapels in Old Saint Peter's, the oratory of Pope John VII. The oratory was partly dismantled when the Holy Door of the Jubilee was installed; and finally, in September 1609, it was completely demolished, along with the last remaining vestiges of the Constantinian basilica. Although the oratory no longer exists, it has been possible to obtain an idea of what it looked like from the surviving fragments of mosaic decoration and sculpture, based on Giacomo Grimaldi's accurate, illustrated descriptions, and the painter Domenico Tasselli's visual documentation. This documentation is a starting-point for understanding the oratory's iconographic programme, and how this was displayed on the walls of the chapel before it was destroyed to make way for the new basilica. Grimaldi's images of the oratory mainly show depictions of the east and north walls, with close-up views of the mosaics.