The structure, which is positioned over the basilica's main altar to provide a ceremonial covering for the tomb of St. Peter underneath, was completed from the 1620s to 1630s on Pope Urban VIII's commission of Baroque architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Restorers put the finishing touches Tuesday on the ornate canopy covering the main altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, which has been covered in scaffolding for months during the first renovation of Baroque architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s masterpiece in more than 250 years.

A 10-month project to restore the giant bronze-and-wood canopy in the middle of St Peter's Basilica is nearing completion, and the work will be unveiled to the public on Oct. 27, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

Experts conducting the first renovation in 250 years of a towering altar canopy in the Vatican provided a sneak peek of their progress on Tuesday, with centuries-old gilding glowing anew.

Pope Urban VIII commissioned Bernini in 1624 to design and build the enormous canopy over the Papal Altar of the Confession, located directly over the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle.

The restoration of the monumental baldachin over the main altar in St Peter’s Basilica has been completed after months of work.