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| Grottoes
Vatican City Colonnade Saints Floorplan #2 |
| Altars
Monuments The History |
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In the arcosolium next to the Tomb of Pius XI, is the sarcophagus of Cardinal Raphael Merry del Val, the titular of the church of St Praxedes, former Secretary of State of St Pius X and the Archpriest of the Vatican basilica. The titles justify his burial in the Vatican grottoes. |
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The inscription above the sarcophagus, to the right, quotes from the last will of the Cardinal, written on the day of his death February 26, 1930, where he gives indications concerning his tomb and epitaph: "I wish to be buried with extreme simplicity. On my tomb is to be only my name and the words 'Da mihi animas coetera tolle'1, the aspiration of my entire life." This is, in fact, the inscription on the sarcophagus made by Luca Beltrami, the architect of the Fabbrica di San Pietro and by Eng. Ernesto Paretti. The style is sober, typical of the 20th century with the monogram of Christ in the center as its only decoration. The only precious element is the stone: onyx from Majorca, commissioned by the friends and nationals of the Cardinal, as the other inscription says. |
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| 1Da
Mihi Animas Coetera Tolle - This famous quote of Don Bosco's means
"Give me Souls..Take Away the Rest" Source: Roma Sacra The Vatican Grottoes, © Fabbrica of St. Peter's, June 2003 |
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