The most important work of art at the Fair is on display here. Michelangelo's 469-year-old masterpiece in carved Carrara marble, the Pietà, generally held to be one of the finest examples of Christian art in any medium. Installed in Old St. Peters Basilica in 1499, it had never been taken from the Vatican until the late Pope John XXIII granted permission for it to be brought to the Fair. The pavilion in which it is exhibited is an oval shaped building topped by a cross, with a curving wall extending from the entrance. The pavilion and its contents have as their theme, The Church is Christ Living in the World.

The Masterwork The Pietà represents the body of Christ in the arms of His mother just after He was taken down from the cross. The work, six feet long by five feet nine inches high, is shown in a setting created by stage designer Jo Mielziner. Spectators are carried past it on three moving platforms at different heights. There is a walkway for those who wish to view it at their own pace.