Popes
The Pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. So far there have been 265 of them (since the first century AD).
P.S.: we're not going to include all sites ever visited by a pope - just those that are strongly linked to one or all of them
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Assisi | Basilica of San Francesco: "On 16 July 1228, Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in Assisi, and he laid the foundation stone of the new church the following day, although construction may already have been begun. The construction having been begun at his order, the Pope declared the church to be the property of the papacy." | |
| Avignon | From 1309 to 1377, the pope resided not in Rome but in Avignon (Palais des Papes) | |
| Ferrara | Pope Urban III died in Ferrara in 1187 and is buried in the Cathedral of Saint George. | |
| Florence | The popes Stephen IX and Nicholas II were buried in the church of Santa Reparata, the predecessor of the cathedral of Florence. The Florence Baptistery houses the tomb of Antipope John XXIII. | |
| Kraków | Karol Wojtyła was archbishop of Kraków (headquarters in Wawel Cathedral of Sts. Stanislaus and Vaclav) and became Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, in 1978. | |
| Longobards in Italy | Santa Sophia in Benevento: "In 1688, a devastating earthquake hit the Samnium region, the effects of which were certainly felt by the church which lost a section of its original dome as a result of the falling bell-tower. (...) Cardinal Vincenzo Maria Orsini (later Pope Benedict XII) opted for the radical transformation of the church's architectural facies, rendering it more in keeping with the tastes of the day." (Nomination file, p. 265) | |
| Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles | Three popes came from the canonical chapter of the Cathedral of Padua: Eugene IV, Paul II and Alexander VIII. | |
| Piazza del Duomo (Pisa) | "Pope Gregory VIII was (...) buried in the cathedral. The fire of 1595 destroyed his tomb." | |
| Pienza | Was named after and redesigned by Pope Pius II (Pope between 19 August 1458 - 15 August 1464) | |
| Ravenna | Mausoleum of Theodoric: Pope Victor II "died at Arezzo (...). Victor's retinue wished to bring his remains to the cathedral at Eichstätt for burial. Before they reached the city, however, the remains were seized by some citizens of Ravenna and buried there in the Church of Santa Maria Rotonda [(this is the mausoleum)], the burial place of Theodoric the Great." | |
| Rome | Rome with Holy See's exterritorial rights | |
| Siena | "The prestige of Siena was restored in 1457, when its Bishop, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, was elected Pope under the title of Pius II." (AB Ev) + Siena Cathedral: "In December 1058 a synod was held in this church resulting in the election of pope Nicholas II and the deposition of the antipope Benedict X." | |
| Urbino | "(...) from 1631 to 1860 [Urbino] was incorporated into the Papal States. During this period it experienced a general economic decline. However, the elevation of Gianfrancesco Albani, who was born in Urbino, to the papacy in 1700 as Clement XI saw a major campaign of restoration, especially on the churches and other religious buildings." (AB Ev) | |
| Val d'Orcia | "Both Pope Pius II and his nephew Pope Pius III were baptized at the baptismal font" of the Pieve di Corsignano | |
| Vatican City | The Holy See has been the residence of popes since early Christian times |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Popes?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source