A Guide to St Peter's Basilica

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Monument to the Stuarts

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Monument to the Stuarts

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Monument to the Stuarts (1817-29) by Antonio Canova

The monument to the Stuarts was created by Antonio Canova (1757-1822), the leading Neoclassical sculptor of his day. 

The monument commemorates James Francis Edward Stuart, Prince of Wales (1688-1766), nicknamed the 'Old Pretender', and his two sons, Charles, the 'Young Pretender', also known as 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' (1720-88), and Henry (1725-1807).  
James was the son of King James II, who fell from power in 1688 as a result of the so-called 'Glorious Revolution'.

Canova used this location to mark the spot in the crypt below, where the last three members of the Royal House of Stuart lie buried. 

At the base of the monument stand two angels in mourning, their wings folded, their heads bent over two inverted torches. The Latin inscription above the closed door, 'BEATI MORTVI QUI IN DOMINO MORIVRVR' ('Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord'), is a quotation from the Book of Revelation (14:13).

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