Tomb of Luca Savelli

Abstract

In the Chapel of Saint Francis, also known as the Savelli Chapel, at Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome, is the tomb of the Roman Senator Luca Savelli (1190–1266), father of Pope Honorius IV (Giacomo Savelli, reigned 1285–1287). The tomb features an ornate third-century sarcophagus adorned with piping satyrs and floral festoons, which serves as the base for the coffin. The extent to which the tomb preserves its original design by Arnolfo di Cambio (c. 1240–1300/1310) is uncertain, with only the small statue of the Madonna and Child at the top of the monument confidently attributed to his hand. The tomb underwent significant alterations during restorations ordered by Pope Benedict XIII Orsini (reigned 1724–1730), a period when the Savelli family had lost much of their influence. These restorations included the removal of the tomb’s original front face and the reconstruction of mosaics displaying the Savelli family coat of arms. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.