The 1979 Renovation and 'New' Altar
In the photo can be seen the altar that was placed here by order of Pope John Paul II after he altered this area soon after his election to the See of Peter. Making alterations to the crypt was one of the first items on his agenda as a newly elected pope. Work began in 1979, the year after his election.
Thus, the crypt area as it is seen today was completed during the reign of Pope John Paul II. To celebrate the occasion, a new square block altar (aka 'the ice cube') with matching pulpit and celebrant's chair were installed and dedicated on August 6, 1999.
The altar faces the tomb area with the niche of the pallia, seen below. The tomb is in this marbled confessio built in the year 1615, located down below the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica. Behind the niche of the pallia is an ancient Byzantine mosaic of Christ.
The arch and window seen in the photo below were created in 1979 after the election of John Paul II. Before that time, the confessio and the tomb of St. Peter were not directly visible from the main area of the Grottoes. The area was separated by a wall, and the Grottoes had a different arrangement with an altar against the wall.
The Previous Altar
There was an altar here called the Altare del Salvatore, removed at that time (the elevated sanctuary step can still be seen). Photos of this altar do not exist yet online. And its whereabouts today is unknown, although still believed to be somewhere in storage.
All such projects in the Basilica are managed by the Rev. Fabbrica di San Pietro, an entity in the Vatican that is responsible for the conservation, maintenance, and decoration of the Basilica. This institution is delegated with the task of taking care of the artistic treasures and making sure nothing is lost.
Also removed was the large statue by Canova of Pope Pius VI kneeling in prayer that was on the confessio side of the wall (today the same statue is on display on the opposite end of the crypt).
On November 2, 1979, Pope John Paul II inaugurated the new opening of the Grottoes into the confessio, the first time visitors to the crypt were able to view the new arch making the tomb visible for all who pass through the lower section of the basilica.
Uncovering the Tomb of St. Peter
This area was earlier altered in 1940 when an attempt was made to lower the floor during the reign of the newly elected Pius XII. Excavations continued as the diggers located one ancient tomb after another. This area underneath the floor became known as the Vatican Necropolis.
Eventually, it was decided the tomb of St. Peter should be explored and opened. The ultimate prize was to open the loculus cavity that was built by the Emperor Constantine and to verify the bones of the Prince of the Apostles, Peter the Roman.
The excavations were done in two phases. The first was from 1940-1949. During that time the grave of St. Peter was confirmed, but not without some gaps. The second was from 1952-1965, during which the identification of the bones of St. Peter were scientifically confirmed. The project was declared complete in 1968.
A Critique of the Present 'New' Altar
The new monomania altar was donated by Francesco Sensi, a local billionaire. His name is carved on the pulpit.
On the front side of the altar is a bas-relief of the aftermath of the crucifixion of St. Peter. On the rear side is a strange image of a beardless Christ, the Good Shepherd, with an engorged right hand raised in blessing. The ambiguous face of Christ could have more than one interpretation. On one side panel can be seen the coat-of-arms of Pope Paul VI while on the other can be seen the coat-of-arms of Pope John Paul II.
The inscription in Latin reads: AD CENTESIMUM ANNUM RECOLENDUM POST NATUM PAULUM VI 1897 - 1997. This celebrates what would have been the 100th birthday of Pope Paul VI. In the minds of some critics, the whole picture creates an unstable juxtaposition. The outcome of the altar is thus an expression of a worldview of liturgical revolution with its political feelings of which the postconciliar reform is mingled.
Instead of this new altar, some art historians would like to see the Rev. Fabbrica retore here the former 'Altare del Salvatore' that was removed in 1979. Images of this vanquished altar are not yet found online.
On a positive note, Mass celebrated here is facing East, as is the immemorial custom.
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The problem with the present new altar is that it lacks harmonious composition with the Basilica. Rules of proportion have always been applied to every altar in St. Peter's, irrespective of the decade or personal viewpoints. Accepted patterns of composition please the Basilica's heritage and match the highest possible standard.
The present day factitious (artificial) size, shape, and style of the altar, pulpit, and celebrant's chair simply fail to give strength to the arrangement. Further, because the artist opted to ignore visual proportion reflecting a mathematical scheme, the composition falls apart.
Not a few authorities have opined the Rev. Fabbrica would do well to avoid ill-proportioned, ill-fitting compositions, and any related decoration that may be interpreted as disjointed. While in many churches there is a clear preference for an aesthetically disordered decor, such an obvious pitfall should be avoided at all costs in a church so prominent as St. Peter's Basilica.
Philosophical Afterthought
There is also possibly a deeper question at work here, an old sophism dressed up as a new principle of the Vatican II Church - that perfection is becoming. The present historical task of the powers that be remains the liturgical revolution, subtly achieved by reinterpreting through a "renewal." In many instances, this has taken the outright form of destroying the past. Experiment and novelty become the artifice. The motive force is a perpetual urge for the new: Le nouveau!
This renewal has given way to an endless flux of change with kitsch art that does not belong, given to us by the new theologians, a revolution that has proceeded by negation. And so the question should not be how to reconceive the Faith and the Liturgy so as to put it in the service of Revolution. But how we can continue to foster the Faith and the Liturgy in the light of Tradition.
And one final thought. The phrase "noble simplicity" has been an overused cliché oft repeated in the post-Vatican II church. It has given a cover for many forms of false simplicity. Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand touches on fake simplicity in his book, Transformation in Christ. He warns of cases when the advantage derived from the avoidance of complexity is outweighed by a grave defect or aberration.
He writes: "The deliberate pose of simplicity...springs from the illusory belief that simplicity can be promptly attained from below upwards, whereas, in fact it results from the establishment of communion with Him who, by virtue of His incommensurable highness, condenses all in one per eminentiam" (Transformation in Christ, p. 81).
