Monuments in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo

Monuments in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo are tombs and funerary monuments ranging from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Since its rebuilding in the 1470s by Pope Sixtus IV the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo was one of the favourite burial places for members of the papal aristocracy, clergy and literati. Foreign artists were also buried in the church due to its location near their favourite quarter in Rione Campo Marzio. The high number of tombs and monuments makes the basilica a veritable museum of Roman funerary art throughout the centuries. Besides the tombs in the side chapels and the choir there are many other funeral monuments in the aisles and the transept.

1. Maria Eleonora Boncompagni Ludovisi

To the right of the entrance, on the counterfacade, is the wall tomb of Maria Eleonora I Boncompagni, the sovereign Princess of Piombino. The princess died in 1745 after visiting a hospital. Her tomb was designed by Domenico Gregorini in 1749.

The funeral monument has typical, slightly macabre, late Baroque details. The base includes a winged dragon, symbol of the Boncompagni family. The plaque of the epitaph is made of pietre dure. The inscription is surmounted by an allegory of Time (a winged skull), the coat-of-arms of the Principality of Piombino and two allegorical figures (Charity and Humility). The plaque is set in a white marble frame with a conch in the lower part and a gable at the top with a shell, two flaming torches and another winged skull.

2. Giovanni Battista Gisleni

The tomb of Giovanni Battista Gisleni, an architect and stage designer who worked for the Polish royal court during 1630-1668, is another rather macabre funeral monument. It is set between a wooden booth and a stone half-column on the right side of the counterfaçade. The memorial was designed and installed by the architect himself in 1670 two years before his death.

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