Monument of Pius II

1. Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomin / 1458-1464). Born in Siena, Pius II died in Ancona on 14 August 1464. He was buried in a underground tomb in the chapel of St. Gregory the Great in the ancient basilica of St. Peter. in the Vatican, next to his funeral monument, today placed above the arc of the lateral vestibule, which opens the basilica to the east. It is well-known that the monuments of the two Piccolomini pontiffs (Pius II and Pius III) were transported from s. Peter in the Vatican to this basilica in the years 1614-15 under Paul V, their remains, however, were transferred here on January 6 of 1623, under Gregory XV,  at 2 o’cock in the nigh and no habitual parade. Placed in coffins beneath the floor of the old grandstand, they were discovered in 1758 when the floor was fashionable renewed  and, once again buried, they were never founded again. So the sarcophagi of Pius II and Pius III are still empty, as they had always been in the Vatican basilica.

2. The Pius II monument. It is placed on the left side of those who enter. At the top of the monument (Paolo Tacconi et al., 1470 c.), Two angels hold the pontifical emblem: a black cross over which five golden moons are superimposed. In the first scene is carved the Virgin with the Holy Child: on the one hand, Pius II is still cardinal is supported by s. Paul; On the other hand, s. Peter handed him the keys. In the second, the pontiff is carved lying on the sepulchral urn, where it is written: PIUS PP. II. In the third, the solemn procession of 2 December of  1462 for the transport of the head of s. Andrew from Milvio Bridge to the Vatican basilica. Flanking , in special niches, six virtues are carved in the top: Science, with the torch(upper Left); The fortress, with the column(upper right); Prudence, with the snake(center left); Justice, with the sword(center right); The Faith, with the chalice(Lower left); And the Charity, with the children(lower right). The two Latin inscriptions shows the curriculum of Pius II and the mass when the monument was placed in 1614. In the Floor, between the chapel st. Sebastian and the monument  we can find the tomb of Ventura de Raulica