Remains of Pope Pius VI returned to the Vatican
- When
- 1801–1802
- Where
- Rome (burial), reached from Valence
- Episodes
- 1
Pope Pius VI died in captivity at Valence on 29 August 1799. His embalmed remains were removed from Valence on 24 December 1801 and buried at Rome on 19 February 1802, where a Catholic funeral was attended by his successor, Pope Pius VII.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Pius VI was taken prisoner in 1798 after refusing to renounce temporal power. He was transported to France, eventually reaching Valence, where he died six weeks after arrival on 29 August 1799. His body was embalmed but not buried until 30 January 1800, when Napoleon saw political advantage in burying the deceased Pope.
Transfer to Rome. After more than two years of political intrigue, Pius VI's body left Valence on 24 December 1801. The remains were transported to Rome, where they were buried on 19 February 1802. This transfer occurred following the Concordat of 1801, which settled the investiture conflict.
Funeral. Pius VI was given a Catholic funeral in Rome on 19 February 1802. The ceremony was attended by his successor, Pope Pius VII, who buried the deceased pope at Rome.
People involved
- Pope Pius VI · Deceased Pope
- Pope Pius VII · Successor
- Napoleon Bonaparte · Political figure whose earlier decision led to the 1800 burial of Pius VI's embalmed body
Sources
- Pope Pius VI Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-06
- Valence, Drôme Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-21
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.