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Saint Andrew

Saint Andrew is a marble statue by the Flemish sculptor François Duquesnoy, created between 1629 and 1633. It is located in one of the niches of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome. The monumental figure depicts Andrew the Apostle leaning on the crux decussata of his martyrdom. Duquesnoy's Saint Andrew is one of the four colossal statues beneath the dome of St. Peter's and faces Bernini's less restrained Saint Longinus. The four colossi were installed in the niches within the four piers supporting the dome between 1639 and 1640.

Saint Andrew sculpture standing in an ornate alcove inside St. Peter\'s Basilica, with a carved pedestal and visitors below.
Saint Andrew displayed in an ornate alcove inside St. Peter\'s Basilica in Vatican City.
August 2021 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Statue of Saint Andrew in a vaulted niche with marble and gold accents.
Saint Andrew statue displayed in a marble niche inside St. Peter\'s Basilica.
September 2011 © · CC BY 3.0
Stone statue of Saint Andrew in a decorated marble alcove, with one arm raised to a wooden beam behind him.
Saint Andrew statue displayed in a richly decorated alcove with marble paneling.
© · Public domain
Saint Andrew sculpture in a vaulted niche, holding a large wooden beam and looking upward.
Saint Andrew stands in an ornate niche, holding a rough wooden beam beneath a patterned vaulted ceiling.
August 2019 © · Public domain
Saint Andrew stone sculpture in an ornate arched niche, holding a rough wooden post.
Saint Andrew shown in a dramatic stone sculpture within an ornate architectural niche.
June 2025 © · CC0

Identification

TitleSaint Andrew
TypeStatue
SubjectAndrew the Apostle
Original titleSant'Andrea

Creator

ArtistFrançois Duquesnoy
Artist nationalityFlemish

Historical context

Redesign date1631
Approval bodyCongregation of the Fabric of St. Peter
Approval dateMay 1628
Date of creation1629–1633

Discovery and provenance

Commissioning contextPossibly recommended to the confraternity overseeing works at Santa Maria di Loreto by Cardinal Biscia after he admired the life-size model of Saint Andrew
Related workSaint Susanna
Presentation of modelA life-size stucco model was unveiled in its intended niche on 19 December 1629 before the pope and attending cardinals
Cardinal presentCardinal Biscia, cardinal protector of the confraternity of the bakers
Basis for commission hypothesisExisting documentary evidence
Attribution historyEarlier biographers and some 20th-century scholars thought a model by Duquesnoy was approved in May 1628, but modern scholars reject that; Irving Lavin (1968) stated that the pope chose Bernini's model for Saint Andrew
Commission sequenceWhether Saint Andrew was commissioned before Saint Susanna is disputed; modern scholars tend to think it was, based on documents, but the question is unresolved
Rubens letterPeter Paul Rubens referred to the fame of Saint Andrew but did not mention Saint Susanna

Physical characteristics

ScaleLarger-than-life; one of the four colossal statues beneath the dome of St. Peter's Basilica

Materials

MaterialMarble
Preparatory model materialStucco

Technique

StyleBaroque with Duquesnoy's maniera greca, described as an almost direct reference to ancient sculpture
Model typeLife-size stucco model

Appearance

AnatomyBroad, muscular torso, compared to the Laocoön
DraperyStill, motionless drapery
PoseThe saint stands leaning on the crux decussata (saltire cross) of his martyrdom

Iconography and meaning

IconographySaint Andrew is shown with the crux decussata of his martyrdom
InterpretationThe sculpture's meaning is interpreted as shifting from Saint Andrew's adoration of the resurrected Christ to his emulation of the Crucifixion
Original designBernini's original plan set Saint Andrew and Saint Longinus in contrasting postures of adoration, looking toward the resurrected Christ originally planned above the Baldachin
RedesignIn 1631 the resurrected Christ was replaced by the globe and cross of the Baldachin

Location and ownership

Current locationOne of the niches in the four piers supporting the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome
Relative placementFaces Bernini's Saint Longinus
Part ofThe four colossal statues in St. Peter's Basilica approved by the Congregation of the Fabric of St. Peter in May 1628

History and restoration

PaymentsInstallment payments were interrupted in summer 1633; final marble blocks were received in April 1633; payments were made in April and May 1633, stopped until March 1634, then continued monthly for several years
Completion assistanceDuquesnoy completed Saint Andrew with help from Vincenzo Giustiniani, who advanced him 300 scudi for a Virgin sculpture he had commissioned
Delay explanationAccording to Sandrart, payments were delayed by intrigues against Duquesnoy, leaving him desperate

Reception

ReceptionAt its inauguration, the statue was closely scrutinized by critics and other artists at St. Peter's and was well received