Inside the Vatican studio preserving the mosaics of St. Peter's Basilica


A worker crafts a new mosaic inside the Vatican Mosaic Studio at the Vatican, February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

VATICAN CITY, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Since the late 1500s, ⁠a small workshop in the Vatican has cared for the hundreds of mosaics that decorate the interior of St. Peter's Basilica ⁠in a sea of colour.

The 12 artists on staff at the Vatican Mosaic Studio also produce smaller artworks that ‌Pope Leo uses for a kind of "mosaic diplomacy", gifting them to foreign leaders visiting the Vatican or on his own trips overseas.

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