The completed medallion mosaic of Pope Leo XIV is set to be installed in St. Paul Outside the Walls on January 25th. Its location will be on the right aisle of the basilica, next to the portrait of Pope Francis. Mosaics in St. Paul’s are “an ancient papal tradition dating back to the pontificate of Leo I in the fifth century”. They’re created using a centuries-old technique.
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“Pope portrait mosaics are in the form of circular medallions. They’re made with glass enamels and gold leaf applied to a metal base, using the classic Roman cut mosaic technique.”
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The mosaic was created by the Vatican Mosaic Studio of the Fabric of Saint Peter. It’s made from “around 15,000 tiny glass enamel tiles, or tesserae,” and is based on an oil painting by master mosaic artist Rodolfo Papa. The new mosaic joins a “frieze of mosaic portraits of all the popes since St. Peter”. Viewing the mosaic is on my list of things to do. St. Paul Outside the Walls is about a 45-minute trip via Metro.
The tomb of apostle St. Paul is located beneath the main altar at St. Pauls. “A 4th-century marble sarcophagus, confirmed by Vatican archaeologists, holds the apostle’s remains.
