Sanpietrini Staff

Written and read by Assunta di Sante

The work of the Fabric of Saint Peter takes place on a daily basis due primarily to the work of the Sanpietrini staff, who handle the reception, surveillance, cleaning and maintenance of the Vatican Basilica. The formation of the group of Sanpietrini dates back to the early eighteenth century, when the end of the building work imposed a new mission on the Fabric of Saint Peter, or rather the decoration and maintenance of the complex and vast spaces of the Basilica. At a time in which financial and functional reasons demanded change, it was necessary to reorganize the workforce, diversifying and specializing the internal staff to provide for those activities that until then had been outsourced. The Sanpietrini thus compensated for the reduction in economic resources and, to meet to needs of a unique building, they put to use the knowledge acquired by generations of labourers. Significantly, it was during these years that the workers of the Fabric began to be called Sanpietrini, a sign of a desire for distinction and a clear affiliation with Saint Peter's Basilica.

A first group of expert Sanpietrini took shape around the figure of the young and brilliant Nicola Zabaglia (1664-1750), a character who was destined to play an extremely interesting role, not only within the Fabric of Saint Peter, but more generally in Roman building circles of the time. Zabaglia represents the paradigm of the Sanpietrino: despite having had an exclusively workshop-based education, he was able to hold his own with the engineers and architects of the eighteenth century, who appreciated his ingenuity, experience and indispensable skills. He made an invaluable contribution with the invention of wooden structures that permitted the difficult operations of decoration and maintenance of the Basilica spaces to be carried out in a versatile, safe and economical manner. It was precisely in the design and construction of these devices that the Sanpietrini acquired a knowledge that was unknown elsewhere, thus becoming the driving force behind the work in the Basilica and placing the Fabric of Saint Peter at the forefront of experimentation in intervention techniques and scaffolding construction.

The Fabric of Saint Peter owes much of its prestige to the competent and uninterrupted activity of the Sanpietrini, who have handed down the task entrusted to them from generation to generation with dignity and pride, studying and experimenting innovative methods to assist in the restoration and maintenance necessary for the conservation of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Over the years, the expertise and skill of the Sanpietrini have continued to engage with the innovations provided by technology to adapt them to the specific needs of the Vatican Basilica, thus demonstrating a marked spiritual continuity with their distant predecessors.

Currently, there are approximately eighty Sanpietrini, consisting of carpenters, masons, plasterers, decorators, blacksmiths, plumbers, electricians, stonemasons and scaffolders as well as general labourers. Two teams work simultaneously on a daily basis to fulfil their principal tasks of reception, stewardship, cleaning and maintenance of the Vatican Basilica and its facilities respectively. These are demanding tasks due to the architectural and territorial parameters of the Basilica and the constant flow of pilgrims and visitors that populate it: over 60,000 people every day from all over the world.

© Fabric of Saint Peter