This article is missing information about the dates some of the monuments were created which, in some cases, is long after the pope's death. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page.(March 2020)
For the first few centuries in particular, little is known of the popes and their tombs, and available information is often contradictory. As with other religious relics, multiple sites claim to house the same tomb. Furthermore, many papal tombs that recycled sarcophagi and other materials from earlier tombs were later recycled for their valuable materials or combined with other monuments. For example, the tomb of Pope Leo I was combined with Leos II, III, and IV circa 855, and then removed in the seventeenth century and placed under his own altar, below Alessandro Algardi's relief, Fuga d'Attila. The style of papal tombs has evolved considerably throughout history, tracking trends in the development of church monuments.[2] Notable papal tombs have been commissioned from sculptors such as Michelangelo and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Many early tombs no longer exist due to repeated translations or destruction. This list does not include non-extant papal tombs. Information about these tombs is generally incomplete and uncertain. Locations of destroyed or lost papal tombs include:
Papal tombs in Old St. Peter's Basilica, which once numbered over 100 papal tombs, nearly all of which were destroyed during the sixteenth/seventeenth century demolition.[7]
Remains transferred from Vatican Hill to the Cemetery of Callixtus and possibly again thereafter;[9] sarcophagus which may once have contained remains is extant in the Palazzo Altemps[10]
St. Peter's Basilica, Chapel of the Madonna of Partorienti
First pope buried on the porch of Old St. Peter's Basilica; translated multiple times, combined with Leos II, III, and IV circa 855; removed in the seventeenth century and placed under his own altar, below Algardi's relief, Fuga d'Attila (pictured)[14]
Originally buried in the portico of Old St. Peter's, partly transferred to Soissons; during the demolition of St. Peter's, transferred to Sant'Andrea della Valle then Cappella Clementina, near the entrance of the modern St. Peter's[15]
Original monument in the atrium of Old St. Peter's destroyed during the demolition of Old St. Peter's;[16] small fragment of the original epitaph remains in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica[17]
Originally buried in the portico of Old St. Peter's; translated to the interior; one arm translated to Santa Maria in Cosmedin; other relics translated to the Chapel of St. Sylvester beside the Church of the Quattro Coronati; remainder translated to another chapel of St. Peter's;[18] oratory which once contained the tomb is extant, as well as a sketch of the tomb by Ciampini[17]
St. Peter's Basilica, Chapel of the Madonna of Partorienti
Originally buried in Old St. Peter's; translated under the altar of the Chapel of the Madonna della Colonna; combined with Leo I in the early seventeenth century; for centuries believed to be under the altar of the Church of San Stefano in Ferrara; combined remains of Leos I, II, and IV found during the demolition of Old St. Peter's[19]
Original monument in the Oratory of Cathedra Petri destroyed during the demolition of Old St. Peter's;[20] inscription, composed by Charlemagne, remains in the portico of modern St. Peter's[21][22]
St. Peter's Basilica, Chapel of the Madonna of Partorienti
Originally buried in Old St. Peter's; combined with Leo II and IV by Pope Paschal II; combined sarcophagus destroyed during the demolition of Old St. Peter's; combined with Leo I in 1601 and placed in a sarcophagus under the altar of our Savior della Colonna in new St. Peter's[23]
Originally buried in the atrium of Old St. Peter's; epitaph partially preserved during the demolition of Old St. Peter's, extant in the Vatican grottoes[25]
Tomb discovered on August 14, 1607 under the pavement of St. Peter's; exhumed and reburied on January 15, 1609 in a fourth/fifth century sarcophagus[28]
Destroyed in the Lateran fire of 1308; charred remains were collected and buried in a polyandrum in the same basilica; epitaph reingraved on a cenotaph in the same basilica; modern monument created in 1910[29]
Original destroyed in a fire in either 1308 or 1361; remains collected in a polyandrum in the same basilica; new cenotaph placed on the right side of the main nave by Borromini in the seventeenth century[30]
Only extant papal tomb outside of Italy and France;[32][33][34] original completed circa 1237, dismantled in the seventeenth century, separating the tomb-chest and effigy; tomb-chest constructed with marble from Kärnten[31][35]
Originally buried in the east wall of Old St. Peter's, close to the altar of Gregory I; coffin opened on January 11, 1606 during the demolition of Old St. Peter's and parts were taken as relics; remainder reburied under the altar of Saints Marziale and Valeria,[38] now dedicated to the Crucifixion of St. Peter.
Originally buried in the Church of St. Matthew; discovered in 1573, opened in 1578, reburied beneath the Salerno altar; opened again in 1605 (head taken to Cathedral of Soana; corpse translated to chapel of the Crociata); original sarcophagus placed in transept in 1954[39]
Translated in 1515 to the altar in the chapel of St. Bertharius, then the chapel of St. Victor; transferred from Monte Cassino during World War II to San Paolo fuori le Mura, avoiding the aerial bombing that destroyed the original chapel;[40] returned to the rebuilt basilica of Monte Cassino in 1963[41]
Originally buried in the porphyry sarcophagus of Emperor Hadrian in the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran; damaged during the fire of 1308 and moved to the vestibule; moved to a simple slab in the fifteenth century; moved to Santa Maria Trastevere[44]
Reused the sarcophagus of Helena of Constantinople, Constantine's mother; only tomb to survive the Lateran fires of 1308 and 1361 (restored fully in 1509); moved to the treasury of the Vatican Museum in the nineteenth century[45]
Originally buried in a marble sarcophagus in front of the high altar; moved beneath the pavement under a red Veronese marble slab during the reign of bishop Gilberti (1524–1543); damaged during a storm on February 25, 1879; recovered with marble thereafter and original slab hung on the wall of the Cathedral[48][49]
Originally buried in the Perugia Cathedral; moved several times within the Cathedral, and temporarily combined with Urban IV and Martin IV, before being transferred to Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in 1891[51]
Original, commissioned by archbishop Humbert of Montauro, almost completely destroyed; the recumbent figure (with the anachronistic round top tiara) and above reliefs were added in the sixteenth century[52]
Destroyed in the late fourteenth century, save the epitaph which is currently in the Civic Museum of Perugia; combined with Innocent III and Martin IV in 1587 and interred in the sacristy;[54] Innocent III's remains were transferred to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in the late nineteenth century, but the iron casket is extant in the sacristy of the Perugia Cathedral;[10] possibly translated to the Troyes Cathedral in 1901[55]
Original destroyed in the sixteenth century, no longer extant;[57] new monument constructed in the 19th century and damaged during World War II,[60] of which a sarcophagus and other fragments remain[10][61]
Original tomb destroyed by 1375; reconstructed and redestroyed by the end of the fourteenth century; combined with Popes Urban IV and Innocent III in 1587; Innocent III's remains were transferred to the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in the late nineteenth century, but the iron casket containing Martin IV and possibly Urban IV is extant in the sacristy of the Perugia Cathedral[10]
Originally buried in Church of St. Anthony; moved to Church of St. Agatha; stolen in 1327 by L'Aquilan friars;[68] damaged in the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake[69]
Moved several times within the Cathedral's chapels; all 60 statuettes have been stolen, head of effigy is originally from another bishop's tomb; damaged badly during French Revolution[74][75]
Originally buried in the Chapel of Saints Peter and Paul, moved to the Chapel of St. Thomas in 1455, moved into a mid-fifteenth century copy of the original sarcophagus on September 12, 1606[86]
Cardinal at the time of his death, due to his resignation during the Council of Constance; Moved in 1623, 1760, and 1793; illustrations of an "original" tomb (pictured) have been deemed fabrications by historians;[87] last papal tomb outside Rome (c.f. Tomb of Antipope John XXIII); original sarcophagus extant[10]
Moved from the left outer aisle of Old St. Peter's to the right outer aisle; monument (not sarcophagus) destroyed during the demolition of Old St. Peter's[91]
Originally located in the choir chapel of Old St. Peter's; moved in 1610 to the sacristy; moved in 1625 to the Chapel del Coro in new St. Peter's; combined with Julius II in 1926; moved again in 1940s[95]
Originally located in the oratory of Saints Cosmas and Damian, in the round chapel of Santa Maria de Febribus; moved in the sixteenth century next to Calixtus III; combined in 1582 in the Chapel of Santa Maria della Febbre; survived demolition of Old St. Peter's but broken up in 1605; urns were taken to Santa Maria di Monserrato; monument in Chapel of St. Diego sculpted in 1881[96]
Original, planned tomb—intended for the Cappella Maggiore of St. Peter's—never completed and moved to San Pietro in Vincoli[98] See Tomb of Pope Julius II, Moses and Dying Slave
Unknown
St. Peter's Basilica
Actual remains deposited in a simple sarcophagus, combined with Sixtus IV, his uncle[97]
Originally buried in St. Peter's Basilica sans monument in a red stone sarcophagus in the chapel of San Andrea; reinterred in an ancient sarcophagus in 1608, which was reopened two years later during the demolition of Old St. Peter's;[103] sometimes cited as buried in the Del Monte chapel of San Pietro in Montorio along with his adopted cardinal-nephew, Innocenzo Ciocchi Del Monte[104]
Translated from Old St. Peter's in 1583[108] After the canonisation process was started by Antonin Cloche, the sarcophagus with the body of the saint was added in 1697–98. A flap of gilded bronze, showing the effigy of the pope in shallow relief, is hinged and can be opened to venerate the body of the saint.[109]
Moved in 1646 to the Borghese Crypt in the Paulline Chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore; figure of Clement VIII was carved by Silla da Viggiu and the cornice figures by Pietro Bernini; features "The Peace of Henry IV and Philip III by Ippolito Buzzi and "The Coronation of Clement VIII" by Bernini, "The Canonization of St. Giacinto and St. Raimondo" by Giovanni Antonio Valsolde, "The Occupation of Ferrara" by Ambriogo Bonvicino, and "Invitation of the Troops in Hungary" by Camillo Mariani[114]
Uniquely combines the pope's tomb with that of his cardinal-nephew, Ludovico Ludovisi. According to Reardon[116] the pope was originally buried in the Quirinal Palace and his remains moved to Sant'Ignazio in 1634. The monument was created c. 1709–14.[117]
Moved from the tribune to the left transept in the late eighteenth century by Cardinal Giuseppe Spinelli; originally buried in a simple marble sarcophagus in the Chapel of the Sacrament; present monument completed in 1746; features the pope bestowing the benediction with Charity (left) and Justice (right)[125]
Commissioned at the expense of Cardinal Consalvi, Pius VII's Secretary of State, it depicts the pope blessing the angels of Time and History, with the onlooking figures of Fortitude (left) and Wisdom (right)[131]
Moved from the Vatican grottoes in 1857 to the Tenerani monument commissioned by Cardinal Albani; figures are the kneeling pontiff and seated Christ as well as Saints Peter (left) and Paul (right); base reliefs are Prudence (left) and Justice (right)[132]
Three reliefs are from the fifteenth century; "as simple as possible [...] neither tomb nor monument" and buried in the ground per Paul VI's wishes.[141]
Unknown
Updated in October 2018 with "Sanctvs" for his canonisation.
Reliefs are late fifteenth century; across the aisle from Marcellus II, another short-reigning pope. Updated in September 2022 with "Beatvs" for his beatification.[142]
His body was moved from the Vatican grottoes to the chapel of Saint Sebastian after his beatification on 1 May 2011. The inscription "Beatvs" was changed in April 2014 to "Sanctvs" for his canonization.
^Thomas, Sarah Fawcett. (2000). Butler's Lives of the Saints: September / revised by Sarah Fawcett Thomas. Continuum International Publishing. ISBN978-0-86012-258-6. p. 150.
^ abcFrothingham, A. L., Jr. (1891). "Notes on Roman Artists of the Middle Ages. III. Two Tombs of the Popes at Viterbo by Vassallectus and Petrus Oderisi". The American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts, 7(1/2): 38.
^An illustration of the nineteenth century Tomb of Pope John XXI can be found in: Daly, Walter J. (2004). "An Earlier De Motu Cordis". Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, Vol. 115.
^Gerhard Bissell, Pierre le Gros, 1666–1719, Reading, Berkshire 1997, pp. 104–105. Reardon's statement (Reardon, 2004, p. 206–207) that the design was by Orazio Grassi is based on an unreliable source of more than a century ago and not correct; also, while it is correct, as she states, that Camillo Rusconi created statues of the Cardinal Virtues for the chapel, they were there decades before the monument and have nothing to do with it.
^Olszewski, Edward J. (2004). Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni (1667–1740) and the Vatican tomb of Pope Alexander VIII. Diane Publishing. ISBN978-0-87169-252-8.
Webb, Matilda (2001), The Churches and Catacombs of Early Christian Rome: a comprehensive guide, Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, ISBN978-1-902210-57-5