The Prince of the Apostles!

Private Tours of the Vatican Museums

Inscription to Pope Paul V

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Emblazoned across the facade of St Peter's Basilica, in letters one metre high, is an inscription: IN HONOREM PRINCIPIS APOST PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS PONT MAX AN MDCXII PONT VII (In honour of the Prince of Apostles, Paul V, Borghese, Roman, Pontifex Maximus, the year 1612, the seventh of his pontificate). 

The facade was built for Pope Paul V (r. 1605-21) by Carlo Maderno (1556-1629) between 1607 and 1614. 

No sooner had the inscription been unveiled, than some wags began to remark that they'd had no idea that Paul V was an apostle!  

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St Peter's Basilica