The Vatican on Wednesday inaugurated a new arts and crafts academy inside St. Peter’s Basilica, which revives a centuries-old apprentice system that trained stonemasons, carpenters and artisans to care for the treasures in the world’s biggest Catholic church.
The ceremony came as the first 20 students in the academy are half-way through what amounts to a six-month unpaid internship. They attend lectures, participate in hands-on workshops and learn various trades and technical skills under the guidance of the basilica’s famed “Sampietrini,” the small army of workers who maintain the building.
