Photograph: Courtesy the Osservatore Romano |
**4th-century portrait of Saint Peter from catacombs of St. Tecla, Rome**
Francis I is the latest in a long line stretching back to Saint Peter, who, according to the Catholic Church, was the first pope. This is one of the earliest-known images of the apostle, to whom Jesus is believed to have entrusted the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

A brief history of the pope in art

TONY surveys the pontiff as icon, from ancient Rome’s reverential frescoes to today’s irreverent street art.

Wednesday March 20 2013

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A brief history of the pope in art