(ZENIT News / Rome, 01.15. 2026) – The Vatican Mosaic Workshop of the Fabric of St. Peter’s has completed the mosaic tondo dedicated to the new Pontiff, following the ancient tradition that accompanies the election of each Pope.
Just over eight months after the election of Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican Mosaic Workshop has completed the mosaic portrait for the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, at the request of the Archpriest of the Basilica, Cardinal James Michael Harvey.
The mosaic tondo, 137 centimeters in diameter, was created with vitreous enamels and gold on a metal structure in the Vatican Mosaic Workshop of the Fabric of St. Peter. The tiles were created using the ancient technique of cut mosaic and fixed with stucco to the traditional Vatican oil mortar.
The work was based on a pictorial sketch by master Rodolfo Papa, an oil painting on canvas of the same dimensions as the mosaic tondo, conceived specifically for its transposition into a mosaic.
The work was presented to Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday, January 14, moments before the General Audience. The Holy Father expressed his satisfaction with the result.
The mosaic, composed of 15,000 tesserae, will be installed next to the portrait of Pope Francis in the right aisle of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls, at a height of approximately 13 meters.
The pictorial sketch will be kept, along with the entire series of portraits of the Popes, in the Fabric of St. Peter in the Vatican.
