The Parement Chamber

The Parement Chamber is located in the eastern wing of the private apartments above the Jesus Hall. It is the antechamber to the Pope’s chamber, which are on the North side.

This term « parement » describes for all the tapestries that decorated the walls and seating. Later on, the Parement Chamber was called the «Parade Chamber».

The room was originally covered by a wood-panelled, barrel-vaulted ceiling, similar to the one in the Grand Tinel, which was also destroyed by fire in 1413. There was a fireplace, an altar, two seats and two wrought-iron candelabras. The Pope sat on a dais underneath a canopy. On the eastern wall, vestiges of the trompe-l’œil decoration give insight into how the room’s rich murals must have looked like.

The Parement Chamber underwent extensive alterations over the centuries as the marks on the walls show.
The two levels of arcading on the north and south wall correspond to the floors put in by the military to increase the palace’s habitable space. Similar traces appear in many rooms of the palace.

The Pope and the cardinals held secret consistories here. Important figures were also given audiences here.
This is where the Pope presented the Golden Rose to the person he wished to honour –usually a sovereign – on the 4th Sunday of Lent.