A Guide to
​St Peter's Basilica

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Monument to Pope Pius VII

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Monument to Pope Pius VII

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Monument to Pope Pius VII (1823-31) by Bertel Thorvaldsen
​(Gregorio Luigi Barnaba Chiaramonti, Cesena, b.1742/r.1800-23)

The monument to Pope Pius VII is the work of Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844), a Danish sculptor of international repute, who spent most of his working life in Rome. 

On either side of Pius VII are two small winged figures representing Time (with an hourglass) and History (with a book). The two larger female figures personify Fortitude (wrapped in a lion's skin) and Wisdom. Note the owl by the latter's foot.

 The monument was commissioned by Cardinal Consalvi, the pope's secretary of state. It is the only work in St Peter's Basilica by a protestant sculptor.