The very fine funerary monument to Blessed Innocent XI (r. 1676-89), in St Peter's Basilica, is the work of the French sculptor Pierre-Etienne Monnot (1657-1733). Innocent XI, who holds the keys of St Peter in his right hand, is flanked by allegorical statues of Faith and Fortitude. The bas-relief depicts the victory of the Christians over the Turks at the siege of Vienna in 1683. The two seated bronze lions, at the base of the monument, allude to the heraldic arms of the Odescalchi family, to which the pope belonged. Innocent XI was beatified by Pope Pius XII (r. 1939-58) on October 7th, 1956. Comments are closed.
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My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private walking tours of Rome.
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