A New Way of the Cross for St Peter’s Basilica

As part of the initiatives promoted for the Fourth Centenary of the Dedication of the Vatican Basilica (1626–2026), the Fabbrica di San Pietro will inaugurate a new Way of the Cross inside St Peter’s Basilica on February 20th 2026.

The work is by the young Swiss artist Manuel Andreas Dürr, selected at the conclusion of an international competition announced in December 2023. The call, open without distinction of nationality, gender, age, or religious affiliation, received over one thousand applications from eighty countries across the five continents.

The Commission, composed of art historians, liturgists and representatives of Vatican institutions, after an initial selection based on curricula and portfolios, invited fourteen artists to submit two sketches, including the mandatory one dedicated to the Twelfth Station – Jesus dies on the Cross. After careful evaluation, Dürr’s proposal was unanimously chosen for its compositional balance and expressive strength in interpreting the Paschal Mystery.

The fourteen stations, framed by the craftsmen of the Fabbrica, will be displayed along the central nave and around the Confessio throughout the Lenten season, serving the prayer of the faithful and visitors.

At 4:00 p.m., following a brief inauguration, the rite of the Way of the Cross will take place inside the Basilica. The celebration will accompany participants along the fourteen stations in a path of meditation on the Lord’s Passion, with readings, prayers and moments of silence, in the heart of the liturgical space that preserves the memory of the Apostle Peter.

With this new Way of the Cross, the Basilica renews the dialogue between art and liturgy, offering the ecclesial community and pilgrims a visible sign that beauty continues to be a privileged path for contemplating the mystery of the Cross.