There are over 100 tombs in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Many of these are located underneath the Basilica in the crypt, and as you may have guessed, the majority of these tombs are of popes. However, there are also four royal women buried among them.
Matilda, Countess of Tuscany
The first royal woman to be buried in St. Peter’s Basilica was Matilda, Countess of Tuscany, who was also known as the Great Countess. Matilda was the daughter of Boniface III, Margrave of Tuscany and Beatrice of Lorraine. Her two siblings, Beatrice and Frederick, died shortly after their father, leaving Matilda as the heiress. Despite two marriages, her only child died just a few weeks after her birth. She was considered to be a close confidant of Pope Gregory VII, and he even took refuge at her family’s stronghold, Canossa Castle. She convinced the Pope to see Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, who had previously been excommunicated. Matilda granted the Pope all of her domains in 1079 in defiance of the claims of the Emperor. The Emperor later defeated Matilda and the Pope in battle, and the following years were a series of battles. Pope Gregory VII died in 1085, and Pope Victor III was chosen in his place. He died in 1088 and was replaced by Pope Urban II. In 1094, Matilda helped Henry’s second wife, Eupraxia of Kyiv, find refuge. She was also able to help restore Pope Urban II to Rome. Emperor Henry IV was forced to abdicate in 1105, and he died the following year. His son became Emperor Henry V. Matilda kept a close relationship with the church for her entire life, and she often had clergymen around her to offer advice. She often made donations of money and land to the church as well. She died on 24 July 1115, and Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, easily took control of her lands.
Matilda was first buried in the Abbey of San Benedetto in Polirone. Pope Urban VIII had her body moved to Rome and interred in the Castel Sant’Angelo in 1633. She was moved for the last time in 1645 to St. Peter’s Basilica, and she holds the honour of being the first woman to be buried there.
Christina, Queen of Sweden
Christina was born on 18 December 1626 as the only surviving child of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg. Following her father’s death on the battlefield on 6 November 1632, Christina became Queen regnant of Sweden. She was under the regency of Axel Oxenstierna until 1644 and was cared for by her aunt, Catherine. She received an excellent education and was known to be a good student. She became a supporter of academics and the arts following her majority in 1644. She felt a distaste for marriage and spent many hours writing and studying, often well into the night. She slept very little and was known for her bedhead. She became interested in the Catholic faith, and in 1652, she decided to become a Catholic. In 1654, she revealed that she planned to abdicate and nominated her first cousin Charles Gustav as her heir.
The abdication ceremony took place on 6 June 1654. Christina left Sweden a few days later and initially travelled to Germany. She later settled in Antwerp for four months. On 24 December 1654, Christina converted to the Catholic faith in the chapel of the Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels, and she chose the name Christina Alexandra. The following September, she set off for Rome. She met with Pope Alexander VII and was given her own wing inside the Vatican. She eventually settled in the Palazzo Farnese, but she continued to travel. The Palazzo Riario would be where she would spend the rest of her life. She returned to Sweden twice after the King had died.
She died on 19 April 1689 in Rome at the age of 62. She had asked for a simple burial in the Pantheon, but she was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Maria Clementina Sobieska
Maria Clementina Sobieska was born on 18 July 1702 as the fifth but third surviving child of James Louis Sobieski, a son of John III Sobieski, King of Poland, and Hedwig Elisabeth of Neuburg. On 3 September 1719, she married James Francis Edward Stuart, the eldest son of the exiled King James II and VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, the last Catholic monarch. At the request of Pope Clement XI, the couple lived in Rome, where they were recognised as King and Queen. They were given Palazzo Muti in Rome and had a country house. They were also given an allowance by the Catholic Church. They had two sons together, Charles Edward (born 1720) and Henry Benedict (born 1725). Maria Clementina left her husband after the birth of her last child and went to live in the convent of St. Cecilia in Rome. She had accused her husband of adultery, and although they officially reconciled, they never lived together again.
Maria Clementina died on 18 January 1735 at the age of 32 of scurvy. She was interred in St. Peter’s Basilica and was given a state funeral on the orders of Pope Clement XII.
Charlotte, Queen of Cyprus
Charlotte was born on 28 June 1444 as the eldest and only surviving child of John II of Cyprus and Helena Palaiologina. She also had an illegitimate half-brother named James. In 1456, she was married to John of Coimbra, but he died a year later after a short illness. Her father died in 1458, and Charlotte succeeded him as Queen regnant of Cyprus. On 7 October 1459, she married her second husband, Louis of Savoy, Count of Geneva. They had one son together, who died not long after his birth. Charlotte had a difficult time on the throne, as she was being challenged by her half-brother, James. He eventually forced her and Louis to flee to Rome in 1463, and James was crowned King the following year. She lived in the Convertendi Palace and Piazza Scossacavalli in Rome. She tried to reclaim her throne with papal support, but she was unsuccessful.
Charlotte died on 15 July 1487 in Rome. She was buried in the chapel of Saint Andrew and Saint Gregory in St. Peter’s Basilica, and her remains were moved to the grottoes in 1610.
Two non-royal women are also buried in St. Peter’s Basilica: St. Petronilla and Agnesina Colonna Caetani.
Be the first to comment