Le Cattedra (Chair of St. Peter)
Also known as "The Throne of St. Peter in Glory" ("Cattedra Petri")
St. Peter's Basilica
by Bernini (1666)

The four large bronze statues below the Chair of St. Peter are the Fathers of the
Christian Church; Western, the two with miters, are St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, fathers of
the Latin Church; and Eastern, St. Athanasius and St. John Chyrsostom, Fathers of the Greek Church.
The statues are 5.31 meters high (17-1/2 feet).  Inside the great oval window above and
shielded by a thin sheet of alabaster, is the Holy Spirit, portrayed as a dove, surrounded by
12 rays symbolizing the Apostles.  Inside the Cattedra is a wooden chair, supposedly used by Peter,
but actually was a gift from Charles the Bald to the pope in 875 A.D.

Photo:  Stuardt-Mikhail Clarke