A red rose on Raphael's tomb to remember him on the 500th anniversary of his death

A red rose will pay homage to the great Raphael Sanzio (Urbino, 1483 - Rome, 1520) on the 500th anniversary of his death. The artist disappeared on Good Friday in 1520: by his own wish, his body was buried in Rome’s Pantheon, which had become a Christian church as early as the 7th century. His wishes were granted, and since then the painter has rested in the building, under the plaque commemorating him with an epitaph composed by a friend of his, the poet Antonio Tebaldeo (Ferrara, 1463 - 1537): “ILLE HIC EST RAPHAEL TIMUIT QUO SOSPITE VINCI / RERUM MAGNA PARENS ET MORIENTE MORI” (“Here stands that Raphael: while he was alive, the great mother of things feared to be vanquished, and while he was dying, he feared to die”).

Raphael’s body is buried under the aedicule of the Madonna del Sasso (so called because the statue of the Virgin rests her foot on a stone), executed by Lorenzo Lotti, known as Lorenzetto (Florence, 1490 - Rome, 1541), commissioned by the artist himself: in 1833 the tomb was opened for inspection and the remains were transferred to a sarcophagus donated by Pope Gregory XVI, later rearranged under the aedicule. In the same year a bronze bust of Raphael by Giuseppe Fabris was added, and the final arrangement of the tomb was given to him in 1911 by Antonio Muñoz.

The red rose will remain on Raphael’s memorial throughout the year. But there are many celebrations to look forward to this year, starting with the major exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale. In addition, the MiBACT has set up a page on its website dedicated to the 500th anniversary. So it promises to be an artistic year under the banner of the great Urbino.

A red rose on Raphael's tomb to remember him on the 500th anniversary of his death

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