Saint Peter is shown receiving the keys from Christ in the Sistine Chapel’s north-wall fresco.
Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter was painted by Pietro Perugino and his workshop around 1481–1482. The scene illustrates Christ’s commission to Peter and the symbolic transfer of authority represented by the keys. It is one of the major narrative frescoes created for the chapel before Michelangelo’s work.
The fresco occupies the north wall, which presents episodes from the life of Christ. Its broad architectural setting includes a central-plan temple and a triumphal arch, giving the biblical event a grand Renaissance setting. Contemporary viewers could connect the scene’s authority with the papacy, which claimed succession from Peter.
The painting is sometimes confused with other Sistine Chapel scenes because several artists depicted episodes involving Christ and the apostles. Its title identifies both the action and the recipient: Peter, the apostle traditionally regarded as the first bishop of Rome.