Stop 9
Raphael's Tomb
The Artist and the Temple
Audio Guide
Raphael — considered the greatest artist of his time — died in 1520 at 37. He specifically asked to be buried in the Pantheon because he believed it was the most perfect building ever built. His tomb inscription calls him the rival of nature itself. A Renaissance master chose a Roman temple as his eternal home.
Raphael's decision to be buried in the Pantheon established it as not just an architectural masterpiece but a sacred artistic space — one that transcends religion, empire, and time. This act of reverence influenced how later generations understood the Pantheon, cementing its status as humanity's most admired building.
The marble statue of the Madonna above Raphael's tomb — the Madonna del Sasso — was sculpted by his disciple Lorenzetto, following a design Raphael left at his death. Raphael had specifically requested it. He planned his own memorial space in the Pantheon years before he died, suggesting he knew his death was coming.
“Ille hic est Raphael, timuit quo sospite vinci rerum magna parens et moriente mori. (Here lies Raphael, by whom the great mother of things feared to be outdone while he lived, and while he died, feared herself to die.)”
— Inscription on Raphael's tomb, 1520
🤔 Reflect
Raphael was one of the greatest artists in history — he could have been buried anywhere. He chose a building 1,400 years old. What does it mean to choose where you want to spend eternity? And what does this place say to you about what humans are capable of creating?