A carpet of flowers for St. Peter's Square 

During Holy Week, a considerable commitment is undertaken to decorate St. Peter's Square with flowers and plants. The Garden and Environmental Service of the Governorate of the Vatican City State is responsible for this, with the collaboration of Dutch master florists. And it is precisely from Holland, as well as from Italy, that many of the flowers originate that will adorn the Square during the most important liturgical time of the year, Easter. Rafael Tornini, head of the Garden and Environment Service, describes this in an interview on www.vaticanstate.va.

What commitment awaits the Garden and Environment Service during Holy Week and Easter?

At Easter time, the work of the Garden and Environment Service is particularly intense given that the ordinary tasks of garden maintenance when Spring arrives requires that all the greenery is regularly well-kept in an orderly manner. Added to this are the operations related to Holy Week and Easter.

When does the preparation for the placement of the compositions in St. Peter's Square begin?

The organizational work begins in January with the coordination of procuring the special supplies tied to the liturgical season, such as the traditional woven palmettes from the region of Liguria, the olive branches to be distributed to the faithful in St. Peter's Square and in some private chapels within the Vatican State, where, thanks to the collaboration of the national association of olive oil producing cities of Italy, 100,000 branches are donated every year. For 2025, a greater effort was required for the delivery of 200,000 branches, given the greater influx of faithful for the Jubilee year. In addition to the choice of the centuries-old olive trees to be placed in the Square, kindly offered on loan by the Vivaio Flora Olanda.

Who takes care of it?

The preparation and set-up work is carried out directly by our gardeners, who with commitment and dedication begin the preparation on the Wednesday before Palm Sunday, with the collection of olive branches, myrtle, palm leaves and Chamaerops leaves in the garden, useful for preparing the decorations in the Square, so as to be able to begin the compositions to be delivered on Saturday afternoon in the churchyard of St. Peter's Square and in the Obelisk area inside the Square. Parallel to these preparations, the team in charge of cleaning St. Peter's Square provides for the extraordinary cleaning of the same.

When do you start setting up St. Peter's Square?

On Sunday, the work begins at dawn, before the opening of the Square to the faithful, with the positioning of the olive branches, which are delivered to the faithful. At the same time, a team of florists and gardeners prepare the woven palms on the tables provided, which will be used by the Holy Father, Bishops and Cardinals during the solemn procession, which starts from the Bronze Door and culminates at the Obelisk. Two different moments must be specified. The first is during the Easter Vigil, which is celebrated at the Altar of the Confession inside St. Peter's Basilica. In this case, the floral decorations are made by florists and gardeners employed by the Governorate with the support of volunteers. Instead, for the Easter Sunday decorations, the flowers and the arrangements are donated by the Dutch master florists of Holland.

What characteristics do this year's floral decorations have and how long do they remain on display?

This year's floral decorations in the Square are mainly made of bulbous plants and remain on display until the Thursday after Easter. They are dismantled by our gardeners.

Where do the flowers and plants come from? Are they grown in compliance with sustainable principles?

As anticipated, they are donated by the Dutch master florists. It is a tradition that has lasted for 39 years now. Thousands of bulbs of different species and varieties are donated to us and installed with the support of about 20 bulb producers and florists coming directly from Holland, all coordinated by the Dutch church of Saints Michael and Magnus in Rome and the Diocese of Rotterdam. Although we speak of intensive production, in recent years, even this type of production is turning to organic and sustainable principles, which are the same ones used for the maintenance of the Vatican Gardens.