The ingenious Antonio Canova, twenty years after completing another funerary monument in the basilica (funerary monument of Pope Clement XIII) created a work that was original in every way imaginable. In front of the closed doors of a cut-off pyramid, two nude Geniuses of Death were shown in full relief. As if they were coming straight out of the marble, with their heads bent low, they seem to be wiping away their tears with pieces of cloth held in their hands. Their torches still burn, but soon – it seems – they will be extinguished. And it is those Geniuses who are the main protagonists of this work. Upon closer inspection, we will notice slight differences in calves and minimal ones in the placement of their elbows and hips. They are perfectly antithetical, however, their delicate difference arises some anxiety, just as their sadness seems to infect the viewer, with the dominating yet quiet regret. However, their company causes no fear, it rather immerses us in the blessed deliberations on the mystery of death, while the beauty which emanates from them, gives us strength in taming it. The doors do not seem to be leading into an abyss of suffering, but a depth of beauty and harmony. And that is probably what had fascinated Stendhal so – getting lost in thoughts of departure. Still today this monument arises admiration and forces us to think. It is bereft of any religious symbols, if that was not enough it almost does not seem Catholic, rather pagan in its classicist, timeless beauty. It is adorned with modest garlands and laurel wreaths. The only thing which contains a religious reference is the inscription above the doors: “Blessed are those who die in the Lord.”

Some interpret the figures depicted on the statue as angels – symbols of lost hope as far as the regaining of the throne by the Stuarts exiled from England. Since it was the three representatives of this family who were to be commemorated here, while the monument was to be a testimony to the greatness of their surname.

Their three busts are actually found in the central part of the monument. The first (on the left) is the image of James Edward Stuart III – a monarch without a kingdom, dependent upon the pope, who lived and died in Rome in 1766. After the death of his wife Maria Clementina Sobieska, he cared for his sons, still counting on regaining the English crown, if not for himself then for his firstborn son – Charles Edward. He, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie (on the right), exhibited true bravery and nonchalance, taking part in an unsuccessful invasion of England in 1745, which definitely put an end to Stuart hopes of returning to the British Isles. Then, Charles led a very adventurous lifestyle and did not have any legitimate heirs. He died in 1788. The youngest son, Henry Benedict (in the middle), became a cardinal and at his court in Frascati enjoyed music and literature. He died in 1807. This was the end of the Stuarts, a house pretending to the English crown.  

Why did this family have the honor to place its funerary monument in the most important Roman Catholic church in the world? Most likely the answer would be that the then popes (Benedict XIV, Clement XIII) were very eager to emphasize the significance of the Stuarts and their Catholic faith. However, the answer is more complex still. The founder of the monument was not, surprisingly enough, the pope, although he did commission its construction, but a declared Anglican, and in addition public enemy number one of the Stuarts – George III, a representative of the House of Hanover, which at that time ruled Great Britain. In order to comprehend the meanders of this foundation we must go back to the year 1807. Prior to his death Cardinal Henry Stuart ordered the construction of his own monument. The work was entrusted to Antonio Canova and he prepared the initial design, which due to financial reasons was not completed. The following chapter in this story takes place in London in 1815. Here we see, Canova and the executor of the will of cardinal Henry, Ercole Consalvi. We do not know how it came about, but the son of George III the then Duke of Hannover (latter George IV) assigned a rather large sum into the hands of Pope Pius VI to complete the monument, which was to commemorate the three last Stuarts. Canova therefore, had to meet the demands of both the founder (George III), as well as the pope, which was by no means an easy task, since both had very different opinions about the significance of the Stuarts. Let us then look how Canova dealt with this problem.

While the whole monument is a thoroughly modern work, in agreement with the new style known as Classicism, the busts of the Stuarts which are a rather mediocre work of portrait art, placed on a something resembling a shelf, strike with their anachronism. The three Stuarts are shown as shadows of the past – knights of bygone eras, who were twice buried – in a real as well as symbolic dimension. Here are the descendants of the exiled and dethroned last Catholic king, James II, faithful to the end, find their final resting place far away from England where in the meantime their legend acquired a romantic aura of nostalgia. They were “neutralized” even posthumously, by their enemies. And probably this was the intention of George III. The spirits of the past were honored burying them in the Basilica of San Pietro in Vaticano forever. This is even more pronounced since the monument is accompanied by an inscription which in no way refers to their royal ambitions, which were after all supported by subsequent popes:

To James III, the son of King James II of Great Britain, to Charles Edward and to Henry, the Dean of the Cardinal Fathers, the last of the Royal House of Stuart, sons of James III, 1819

The pope, on the other hand, placing the monument in the Vatican Basilica, most likely desired to honor the deep devotions of the Stuarts to the Catholic faith, but perhaps this  gesture of mutual agreement between an Anglican monarch and the pope contributed to the acquisition of something very important for the Catholic Church. George IV agreed to grant equal rights to Catholics and to end their discrimination on the British Isles. Such an act was issued in 1829.

The monument, which was 5 meters high and 3 meters broad was completed in 1821. Directly opposite stands a very different in style and expression funerary monument of Maria Clementina Sobieska, the final resting place of the wife and mother of these last Stuarts.