Baldacchino

DEFINITION

In architecture, an ornamental canopy on columns over a tomb, altar, or throne; sometimes portable.These may be the largest examples in the world: Gianlorenzo Bernini (Italian, 1598-1680), Baldacchino, 1624-33, a Baroque work, covering the high altar of Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Rome, height 100 feet. See basilica.