A new exhibition in Rome is celebrating the legacy of Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pope Urban VIII, Maffeo Barberini, who discovered and propelled the work of the young artist.
“Bernini and the Barberini,” taking place at the National Galleries of Ancient Art in the Palazzo Barberini, explores Bernini’s early relationship with his first major patron through sculptures, family portraits and rarely shown paintings.
Alongside Michelangelo and Canova, Bernini is one of the Church’s best loved and best known sculptors. Described when he was just a child by Pope Paul V as “the Michelangelo of his age”, collaborative works he completed with his father, Pietro Bernini, appear from when he was just 17 years old. A man of deep faith, his works contributed to the Counter-Reformation revival in the Eternal City.
Bernini is noted for his close ties with the papacy, receiving successive popes’ patronage and friendship. Under Pope Gregory XV (1621–1623), he first received major papal recognition, being given the honorific rank of Cavaliere. Under Pope Alexander VII (1655–1667), Bernini was entrusted with redesigning St Peter’s Square. Under Pope Clement IX (1667–1669) he completed the Cathedra Petri (Chair of St Peter), and under Pope Clement X (1670–1676) he completed the monumental tomb of Pope Alexander VII.
However, he is best known for his closeness to Pope Urban VIII, who ruled from 1623–1644. Under his patronage he completed the Baldacchino of St Peter’s Basilica, the statue of St Longinus and the tomb of Pope Urban VIII himself, while also producing multiple portrait busts of the pope.
Pope Urban VIII is to be honoured this year in various Vatican initiatives, as the Church marks the 400th anniversary of his consecration of the new St Peter’s Basilica in 1626. On Monday 16 February 2026, at 11.30am Roman time, a press conference will be held by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti OFM Conv., archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St Peter, to outline some of the planned events. New services to be made available to pilgrims and visitors are expected to be announced, alongside details of the anticipated “Oltre il visibile” (“Beyond the Visible”) project, in which the integrated study and monitoring of the basilica will be illustrated. The project is particularly significant because cutting-edge technologies will enable visitors from all over the world to learn about and interact with the basilica and its digital ecosystem.
“Bernini and the Barberini,” will run from 12 February to 14 June 2026 with tickets available online.
