Tomb of Antipope John XXIII

Brief Information

In the baptistery of Florence’s Duomo stands the tomb of a man whose papal title was disputed, but whose monument was given papal scale. Antipope John XXIII, Baldassare Cossa, was connected with Florence: the city recognized him during the Great Schism, and after his death he was buried in one of the city’s most revered places. The tomb therefore reads not only as a grave, but also as an attempt to secure the status of a man whom the Roman Church no longer considered a legitimate pope.

The paradox is visible in the composition itself. The monument includes papal symbols, Cossa’s coats of arms, figures of Christian virtues, and a tall canopy, but the reclining bronze figure is dressed as a cardinal. Thus a dispute over authority is turned into a set of visible details: the tomb speaks of papal claims, while at the same time showing a more cautious official image of the deceased.

What to Notice First

It is worth comparing the monument’s vertical tiers. At the bottom are the base and three virtues: Faith holds a chalice, Charity holds a cornucopia and a brazier, and Hope has folded her hands in prayer. Above them rises the sarcophagus on classical consoles with acanthus, and on it lies the gilded bronze figure. This stairway of details from the virtues to the body of the deceased makes the monument resemble an argument in stone and bronze.

The signs of status are also important. On the sarcophagus, Cossa’s coats of arms appear alongside the papal tiara and the cardinal’s hat; this very ambiguity explains the tension around the inscription, where the word “former” could be understood as recognition of a legitimate pope. The placement also contributes to the meaning: the tomb stands between columns, occupies a third of the wall of the octagonal baptistery, and faces the “Gates of Paradise,” while the white and brown marble connects it with the white-and-green interior.