St Peter loses keys to the Kingdom
Vatican authorities reported yesterday that the left hand, holding the keys, of a 13th-century statue of the apostle in St Peter's Basilica, has mysteriously vanished. The marble statue dated between 1285-1290, is attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio - the same artist said to have made the more famous bronze statue of St Peter seated in the central nave of the basilica. The statue with the missing hand was restored in the late 1700s. That hand and keys was a replacement copy of the damaged original, an official at St Peter's said. A Vatican guide is reported to have seen the statue with both hands at around 3.30 pm. The theft was discovered an hour later.