Who sculpted the Pietà in Saint Peter’s Basilica during the Italian Renaissance?

Michelangelo sculpted the Pietà in Saint Peter’s Basilica during the Italian Renaissance. The marble group shows the Virgin Mary holding the body of Jesus after the Crucifixion.

Michelangelo created the work in Rome between 1498 and 1499, when he was in his early twenties. The commission came from the French cardinal Jean de Billheres, who intended the sculpture for a funerary chapel.

The Pietà is carved from Carrara marble, a material Michelangelo valued for its fine grain and luminous surface. Unlike many depictions of the subject, Mary appears youthful, which has been interpreted as a sign of her purity and spiritual perfection.

The sculpture is the only known work Michelangelo signed. His name appears across the sash on Mary’s chest. The Pietà was moved to its present location inside Saint Peter’s Basilica and is now protected by bullet-resistant glass.