In 1683, King Jan III Sobieski won the greatest victory in Polish history - the Victory of Vienna. After the battle, he sent a letter to Pope Innocent XI with the memorable words: "I have come, I have seen, God has won". After Sobieski's death, 13 years later, Europe paid tribute to the hero, and monumental medallions commemorating the most important moments in the king's life were created in Rome's St Stanislaus Church.

Today, the four surviving medallions exemplify the unique funerary art of the 17th century. Stored in the Palazzo Barberini in Rome, they are in urgent need of conservation. Thanks to the cooperation of the Polonica Institute and the Gallerie Nazionali d'Arte Antica, these works will be restored and exhibited in Warsaw, at the Museum of the Palace of King John III in Wilanów. This will allow the general public to interact with Sobieski's heritage.

This unique undertaking underlines the cooperation between Poland and Italy in the preservation of their common cultural heritage.

The conservation of the King John III Medallions is part of a three-year project entitled 'Commemorating the 330th Anniversary of the Death of King John III Sobieski', realised by the National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad POLONIKA in cooperation with the King John III Palace Museum in Wilanów and Gallerie Nazionali d'Arte Antica in Rome.