Rome, as one of Europe's most important cultural centres, has for centuries attracted Poles - artists, students, intellectuals, clergy and travellers. Traces of their presence are preserved in numerous memorials scattered throughout the city - from stately basilicas, through humble crypts, to the monumental Roman cemeteries. Among these traces, a special role is played by epitaphs and tombstones, which not only document the fate of Poles associated with the Eternal City, but also bear witness to their spirituality, artistic aspirations and relations with the international community. Many of these works came from the chisels of the most outstanding Polish sculptors of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Pius Weloński, Antoni Madeyski and Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski. Each of the epitaphs presented in this compilation - from the monument to Maria Klementyna Sobieska to the modest plaques in the crypt of the Resurrectionists - is part of a broader story of the Polish presence in Rome and its lasting mark on the artistic landscape of that city.

Catalogue

Tombstone of Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere
Stanislaus Hosius was an eminent theologian, humanist and cardinal who played a key role in the Counter-Reformation. His tombstone is located in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome . It takes the form of a two-part composition with a bust in an oval niche and a marble inscription plaque. At its base, symbolic books are carved to emphasise the erudition of the deceased. The paintings complementing the tombstone depict allegories of Prudence and Knowledge. For more information, see the text by Agata Dworzak .

Creation time: ca. 1580
Creator: Tomasz Treter (design)
Location: Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome

Tombstone of Michał Korniakt in Rome
Michał Korniakt, son of Konstanty and Anna née Dzieduszycka, died in Rome in 1594 at the age of 19 during an educational journey through Europe. His epitaph is located in the basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, between the chapels of St Jerome and the Crucifix. It takes the form of a marble and alabaster composition with a realistic bust of the young man by Nicolas Cordier, a prominent French sculptor active in Rome. Beneath the bust is a Latin inscription commemorating the deceased and his untimely death. For more information, see Agata Dworzak's text.

Creation time: ca. 1595
Creator: Nicolas Cordiera
Location: Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli

Epitaph of Wojciech Spławski in Rome
He died in 1596 at the age of 21 during a Grand Tour of Europe. His epitaph is located in the Basilica of St Augustine in the Field of Mars in Rome. Made of marble, the work was executed by an unknown artist after 1596 and was later transformed in 1866. It measures approximately 125 x 65 cm.

Creation time: ca. 1596
Location: Basilica of St. Augustine

Tombstone of Jerzy Radziwiłł in Rome
In the Church of Il Gesù in Rome there is a tombstone of Cardinal Jerzy Radziwiłł. It was made of marble by an unknown artist. It measures 316 x 256 cm. It was made around 1600.

Creation time: circa 1600
Location: La chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù

Epitaph of Adam Słuszko
The son of the voivode of Troki, Eustachy Adam Słuszko, died in 1639 at the age of 24 while staying in Rome. He is commemorated by an epitaph with a realistic bust and a coat-of-arms cartouche.

Creation time: ca. 1640
Location: Church of St. Stanislaus in Rome

Tombstone of Giovanni Battista Gisleni - architect of the Polish Vasa dynasty
In Rome's church of Santa Maria del Popolo, not far from Caravaggio's famous paintings, is the unusual tombstone of Giovanni Battista Gisleni - an Italian artist who worked for Sigismund III, Ladislaus IV and John Casimir in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for nearly three decades. Designed by the deceased himself and executed between 1670 and 1671, the monument features a realistic skeleton enclosed in a niche, a portrait painted in oil on slate and a rich symbolic and epigraphic programme. The inscription portrays Gisleni as a 'citizen of the world' and an artist who was equally passionate about architecture, painting and sculpture. Although the tombstone caused controversy, it found its way into most guidebooks to the Eternal City as one of the most original works of Roman Baroque art. For more information, see the text by Hanna Osiecka-Samsonowicz .

Time of creation: 1670-1671
Creator: Giovanni Battista Gisleni
Location: Santa Maria del Popolo

Tombstone of Bartholomew Powsinski
Papal diplomat, arrived in Rome in the retinue of the nuncio Hippolito Aldobrandini (later Pope Clement VIII). He died in 1622.

Creation time: ca. 1622

Tombstone of Andrew Alexei
Andrew Alexis - member of the Order of the Holy Spirit, superior of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit (Santo Spirito in Sassia).
✝ 1656, victim of the plague epidemic.

Creation time: ca. 1656
Location: San Paolo fuori le Mura

Tombstone of Bernard Bogdanowicz
Bernard Bogdanowicz - Cistercian, procurator of the Polish province of the Cistercian order in Rome. He died in 1722.

Creation time: ca. 1722
Location: Santa Croce in Gerusalemme

Tombstone of Jan Kazimierz Denhoff
John Casimir Denhoff, cardinal and long-standing resident of John III Sobieski in Rome, was famous for, among other things, handing over to the Pope the flag captured at Vienna. His tombstone is today located in the sacristy of the church of S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane; it was formerly embedded in the floor of the nave. The slab of multicoloured marble was funded by the graceful Trinitarians whom Denhoff brought to the Republic. A decorative cartouche with an inscription, coat of arms and cardinal's hat was placed against the sarcophagus and personification. For more information, see the text in Tygodnik Ilustrowany.

Creation time: ca. 1700
Location: Church of S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (sacristy)

Epitaph of Franciszek Bogoria Zakrzewski
Courtier to Maria Kazimiera and John III Sobieski - died in Rome in 1700, and his epitaph is located in the church of Santo Stanislao dei Polacchi. It was funded by his friend and court companion, Franciszek Wierusz Kowalski. The baroque plaque with the inscription was made of yellow-beige marble, framed in a frame of dark grey marble. The epitaph is decorated with the Bogoria coat of arms with a peacock and a skull with crossed tibias - symbols of family and death. It is placed in front of the first right side altar in the nave. The inscription on the tombstone reads: D-O-M / FRANCISCO ZAKRZEWSKI BOGORIANO / PALATINATVS CRACOVIENSIS PATRITIO / SERENISSIMORVM IOANNIS III AC MARIAE CASIMIRAE / POLONIARVM REGIS ET REGINAE M-D-L-P- C-C-C-. / EPHEBO ANNORVM XX VIX EXACTO CVRRICVLO / ROMAE MDCC-XII-MAY- IMMATVRA MORTE EXTINCTO / CVI IN PAROCHIALI D- MARCI FVNERALIBVS FACTIS / HAC IN ECCLESIA NATIONALI TVMVLATO / MOERENS PARENSVE FRANCISCVS WIERVSZ KOWALSKI //.

Creation time: ca. 1700
Location: Church of Santo Stanislao dei Polacchi

Tomb of St. Stanislaus Kostka in the former Jesuit college in Rome
In the former Jesuit college located at the Church of St Andrew on the Quirinal is the tombstone of St Stanislaus Kostka. The marble sculpture was made by the French sculptor Pierre Le Gros the Younger between 1702 and 1703. The work is a full-figure representation of the Saint on his deathbed. The object measures approximately 200 x 100 cm and is approximately 110 cm high.

Time of creation: 1702-1703
Creator: Pierre Le Gros the Younger
Location: St Andrew's Church on the Quirinal

Tombstone of Alexander Sobieski in the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini in Rome
Alexander Sobieski, son of John III, spent the last years of his life in Rome, where he entered the Capuchin order and died in 1714. His tombstone is located in the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini and was funded by Pope Clement XI. The monument, by Camillo Rusconi, is an outstanding sculptural work in white marble, with a portrait of the deceased, symbols of power and passing, and figures of putti. At the base of the sarcophagus is an eagle holding the serpent Uroboros, and the whole is decorated with a rich architectural setting. The tombstone is considered one of Rusconi's finest works and one of the most important sepulchral polonics in Rome. For more information, see the text by Agata Dworzak .

Time of creation: 1727-1728
Creator: Camillo Rusconi
Location: Church of Santa Maria della Concezione

Epitaph of the heart of Maria Clementina Sobieska in the Basilica of the Holy Twelve Apostles in Rome
In the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception (second from the right) is a memorial to Maria Clementina Sobieska, the work of Filippo della Valle. The epitaph is approximately 250 cm high. It consists of a marble plaque and an urn. On the sides are two angels, the first holding hearts and the second a crown. At the top, two angelic heads can be seen among the clouds with outgoing rays of light.
Maria Klementyna Sobieska (1701-1735) was the daughter of Jakub Sobieski and granddaughter of John III Sobieski. She married Prince James Stuart, claimant to the throne of Scotland and England.
She was buried in the vaults of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Creation time: after 1735
Creator: Filippo della Valle
Location: Basilica of the Twelve Apostles in Rome

Tomb of Maria Klementina Sobieska in the Vatican Basilica in Rome
In the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception (second from the right) is a monument to Maria Clementina Sobieska, the work of Filippo della Valle. The epitaph is approximately 250 cm high. It consists of a marble plaque and an urn. On the sides are two angels, the first holding hearts and the second a crown. At the top, two angelic heads can be seen among the clouds with outgoing rays of light.
Maria Klementyna Sobieska (1701-1735) was the daughter of Jakub Sobieski and granddaughter of John III Sobieski. She married Prince James Stuart, claimant to the throne of Scotland and England.
She was buried in the vaults of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

Creation time: after 1735
Creator: design by Filippo Barigioni, sculptures by Pietro Bracci, portrait by Fabbio Cristofani
Location: Vatican Basilica in Rome

Tombstone of Casimir Czetwertyński in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome
The tombstone of Casimir Czetwertyński was made by Pio Fedi around 1840. It is located under the Quadriportico colonnade, in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome (exact address: piazzale del Verano 1, Roma). It takes the form of a marble relief. It is believed to be the oldest Polonica in the cemetery.

Creation time: circa 1840
Creator: Pio Fedi
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Epitaph of Artur Mostowski in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome
. In the Minor Basilica, located in the Piazza del Popolo, there is an epitaph of Artur Mostowski. The stele with a white marble relief by Scipione Tadolini was created in 1852.

Creation time: ca. 1852
Creator: Scipione Tadolini
Location: Church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome

Tombstone of Onufry Józef Korzeniowski
He was a captain in the Polish army, an insurgent, collector and social activist. Born in June 1807, died in Rome on 20 November 1868.

Creation time: circa 1870
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Epitaph of Antoni Manastyrski in Rome
The Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome houses the epitaph of the Polish bishop Antoni Manastyrski. The grey marble bas-relief was made in 1880 by Pius Weloński.

Creation time: ca. 1880
Creator: Pius Veliński
Location: Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome

Tombstone of Aleksander Stankiewicz and Henryk Cieszkowski in Rome
. Henryk Cieszkowski, known for his atmospheric views of the Roman Campania, died in Rome in 1895. is to visit his tomb in the Campo Verano cemetery and follow in the footsteps of the landscapes he painted. The artist is buried in section 12 of the "Pincetto Nuovo", together with another painter, Aleksander Stankiewicz. Born in Warsaw in 1824, Aleksander Stankiewicz studied under Piwarski, Kokular and Lampi, and from 1844 studied in St Petersburg. He received a government scholarship to travel to Italy. He gained recognition as a painter of Biedermeier portraits and Italian genre scenes. In the last years of his life, he was cared for by his friend Henryk Siemiradzki. The tomb was restored in 2014 The gravestone inscription, executed on a travertine slab, informs of the Warsaw origins of both artists

Time of creation: ca. 1895
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

The Langmans in the Flaminio cemetery
The Langman family tombstone was made by Zygmunt Langman in 1894. It is located in the Flaminio cemetery in Rome, in the Reparto Polacco sector (exact address: via Flaminia km 14,400, Roma). It takes the form of a slab of pink granite, with a bronze sculpture of Mary and Child on the tombstone base.

Time of creation: 1894
Creator: Zygmunt Langman
Location: Flamino cemetery in Rome

Tomas Oskar Sosnowski's own gravestone in the Campo Verano cemetery
Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski's own tombstone was created around 1846-1850. It is located in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome, Scogliera Vecchia, on terrace II, near Viale Principale (exact address: piazzale del Verano 1, Roma). It takes the form of a relief in white marble, measuring 92 x 61 cm. The grave slab bearing the cross is modest. Until 2009, it also bore the author's bas-relief depicting the Angel of Hope, but it was stolen.

Creation time: ca. 1846-1850
Creator: Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Epitaph of Juliusz Miszewski in Rome
In the left wall of the nave of Rome's Cathedral of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Chiesa cattedrale dei Santi Sergio e Bacco degli Ucrain) is an epitaph in the form of a stele in memory of Julius Miszewski. It was made in 1827 by Konstantin Hegel, in white marble, 65 cm high. The monument is in the convention of Neoclassicism.

Time of creation: 1827
Creator: Konstantin Hegel
Location: Church of Sergius and Bacchus in Rome

Epitaph of Józef Korwin-Szymanowski in Rome
The epitaph of Józef Korwin-Szymanowski was made by Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski, circa 1867. It is located in the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome , on a pillar at the junction of the transept and nave (exact address: Piazza della Minerva 42). It is in the form of a relief in grey marble, measuring 56 x 49 cm.

Creation time: circa 1867
Creator: Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski
Location: Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome

Tombstone of Baroness Enedina Giordano Sanna Apostoli by Viktor Brodzki in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome
The monumental sepulchral chapel in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome houses the highly impressive tombstone of Enedina Sanna, who died in 1873 at the age of just 23. The work, by the sculptor Teofil Lenartowicz or - as is usually assumed - Cyprian Godebski or Henryk Brodzki, depicts a woman lying on a stylised bed with a child at her side, and is considered one of the most beautiful examples of sentimental sepulchral sculpture of the 19th century. The tomb model was awarded a prize at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1878, and in Rome it attracted crowds and the admiration of critics - not least because of its masterful detailing and naturalistic rendering of the fabrics. Despite the controversy expressed by Henryk Sienkiewicz, the work is still regarded today as one of the most recognisable tombstones of the Campo Verano. For more information, see the text by Andrzej Pieńkos .

Time of creation: 1878
Creator: Viktor Brodzki
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Kieniewicz Family Chapel in Rome
The Kieniewicz family chapel was built around 1880, but it is not known who its author is. We only know that the creator of the unpreserved altar relief is Pius Weloński. The chapel is located in the Campo Verano cemetery, in the Caracciolo ramp (exact address: piazzale del Verano 1, Roma). It is built of brick, and the architectural details and sculptural decoration are made of marble.

In the chapel, the following are mentioned on the panels:

• Hieronim Kieniewicz (1797-1884)
• Katarzyna Horwatt née Kieniewicz (1807-1891)
• Kamilla Kieniewicz zam. Mikulska (1828-1904), buried in Kraków.
• Jadwiga Kieniewiczówna, died 1892, amateur painter
• Jadwiga Welońska (1864-1889), daughter of Wanda Kieniewicz and Witold Orda, wife of Pius Weloński
• Ketty d'Orda, d. 1913, daughter of Wanda Kieniewicz and Witold Orda

Creation time: circa 1880
Creator: Pius Weloński (creator of the altar)
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Tombstone of Cardinal Włodzimierz Czacki in the church of Santa Pudenziana in Rome
Cardinal Włodzimierz Czacki, grandson of Tadeusz Czacki, was an eminent diplomat, publicist and close associate of Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII. His monumental tomb in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome is the most magnificent sculptural work in the austere interior of this early Christian temple. It was designed by Pius Welonski, who referred to the forms of medieval and Renaissance tumuli, especially the tomb of Leonardo Bruni. The central element of the composition is a reclining figure of a cardinal with portrait features and a Gothic niche and tondo with a Madonna in the background. The whole is complemented by inscriptions and heraldic symbols emphasising the origin and merits of the deceased. For more information, see the text by Andrzej Pieńkos

Time of creation: 1888-1891
Creator: Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski
Location: Church of Santa Pudenziana in Rome

Epitaph of Rev. Hieronim Kajsiewicz in Rome
The epitaph of Father Hieronim Kajsiewicz, created in 1892 by Henryk Stattler, is located in the crypt of the Church of the Resurrectionists in Rome (via di S. Sebastianello 11). It takes the form of a marble bust 55 cm high.

Time of creation: 1892
Creator: Henry Stattler
Location: Church of the Resurrectionists in Rome

Epitaph of the founders of the Congregation of the Resurrectionists in Rome
The epitaph of the founders of the Congregation of the Resurrectionists, created in 1892 by Antonio Angelini and Pius Weloński, is located in the nave at the entrance to the Church of the Resurrectionists in Rome (via di S. Sebastianello 11). It consists of a slab of black marble and a bronze sculpture 182 cm high.

Time of creation: 1892
Creators: Antonio Angelini and Pius Weloński
Location: Church of the Resurrectionists in Rome

Tomb of Jadwiga of Krasiński Radziwiłłowa in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome
The tomb of Jadwiga of Krasiński Radziwiłłowa of unknown authorship was built at the end of the 19th century. It is located on Serpa viale, in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome (exact address: piazzale del Verano 1, Roma). It has the form of a stone pyramid with a metal door.

Creation time: end of. 19th century
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Epitaph of Maria Przeździecka in Rome
. The epitaph of Maria Przeździecka, created in 1892 by Antoni Olesiński, is located in the crypt of the Church of the Resurrectionists in Rome (via di S. Sebastianello 11). It consists of a medallion of white marble, 58 cm in diameter, and a slab of black and grey marble.

Time of creation: 1892
Creator: Antoni Olesiński
Location: Church of the Resurrectionists in Rome (crypt)

Epitaph of Irena Pogórska in Rome
The epitaph of Irena Pogórska, made around 1902 by Pius Weloński, is located in the crypt of the Church of the Resurrectionists in Rome (via di S. Sebastianello 11). It consists of an 88 x 71 cm slab of red marble and a bronze medallion.

Creation time: ca. 1902
Creator: Pius Velson
Location: Church of the Resurrectionists in Rome (crypt)

Tombstone of Aleksander Gierymski and Antoni Madeyski at Campo Verano in Rome
The tombstone is located in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome (Altoripiano to be precise, quadrant 15), at Piazzale del Verano 1. It was made in 1903-1904 by Antoni Madeyski in travertine (of which the tombstone plaque in pink marble and the 44 cm bust of Gierymski in bronze). The bust was stolen in 1999.

Creation time: ca. 1903-1904
Creator: Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Tombstone of Kazimierz Skirmunt in the chapel of the Jesuits at Campo Verano cemetery in Rome Father Skirmunt Kazimierz (1861-1931) - Jesuit, advocate of Polish affairs at the Vatican, collaborator of the Jesuit general Father Włodzimierz Ledóchowski. He was one of the organisers of the papal collection for the Poles, which took place on 21.11.1915. He is buried in the Campo Verano cemetery in the Jesuit chapel.

Creation time: ca. 1932
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Epitaph of Stefan Przeździecki in Rome
The Epitaph of Stefan Przeździecki was made by Antoni Madeyski in 1936. It is located in the church of San Stanislao dei Polacchi (via delle Botteghe Oscure 15). Its border was made of marble and the panel of bronze. As a whole, the epitaph measures 81 x 53 cm.

Time of creation: 1936
Creator: Antoni Madeyski
Location: Church of San Stanislao dei Polacchi in Rome

Epitaph of Rev. Kazimierz Skirmunt in Rome
The Epitaph of Father Kazimierz Skirmunt by Antoni Madeyski was created in 1937. It is located in the church of San Stanislao dei Polacchi in Rome (via delle Botteghe Oscure 15). It takes the form of a slab of red marble, measuring 64 x 44 cm, with a medallion 18 cm in diameter and coat-of-arms cartouches (both made of bronze).

Time of creation: 1937
Creator: Antoni Madeyski
Location: Church of San Stanislao dei Polacchi in Rome, Italy

Tombstone of Stefan Bakałowicz
Born in Warsaw in 1857, he studied in St Petersburg and from 1882 lived in Rome. He created scenes inspired by antiquity, influenced by Siemiradzki and Quo vadis, painting with attention to detail and vivid colours. He was highly regarded as a portrait and landscape painter, though criticised for his decorativeness. He died in 1947 in Rome, where he is buried in the Campo Verano cemetery

Creation time: ca. 1947-1950
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Tombstone of Włodzimierz Ledóchowski in the chapel of the Jesuit Fathers in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome
Father Włodzimierz Ledóchowski (1866-1942) - Superior General of the Society of Jesus, an advocate of Polish affairs at the Vatican. One of the organisers of the papal collection for the Poles, which took place on 21.11.1915. He was buried in the Campo Verano cemetery in the chapel of the Jesuit Fathers.

Creation time: 1942
Location: Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

Epitaph of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha in Rome
The Epitaph of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha was made by Bogusław Langman, in 1967. It is located in the courtyard of the church of San Stanislao dei Polacchi in Rome (via delle Botteghe Oscure 15). It is in the form of a bronze relief, measuring 191 x 112 cm.

Time of creation: 1967
Creator: Bogusław Langman
Location: Courtyard of the Church of San Stanislao dei Polacchi in Rome
Kazimiera Dąbrowska's tombstone in the Flaminio cemetery in Rome
Kazimiera Dąbrowska was a Polish artist who created outstanding miniatures. Her works can be found, among others, in the Vatican Museums.

Creation time: ca. 1972
Location: Flaminio cemetery in Rome

Tombstone of Karolina Lanckorońska (1889-2002) in the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome
Creation time: ca. 2002
Location: Campo Verano cemetery, Rome