Leseprobe

79 Bernini’s personal contribution to the decoration of the chapel started with the mosaic on the f loor showing a skeleton with the Chigi coat-of-arms that was executed after his designs (fig. 18). Shortly after Fabio’s election as pope, Bernini completed the overall ensemble of the chapel with the sculptures of the Prophet Daniel (c. 1656/1657; fig. 56) and the group showing Habakkuk and the Angel (c. 1656 – 1661; fig. 57). Artistically and programmatically Bernini was thus setting out on a path that would culminate in the composition of the tomb of Pope Alexander VII in Saint Peter’s Basilica (fig. 15). 11 Although Fabio Chigi’s original endeavours were probably connected with the intention of being buried in the family chapel himself, his motivation changed with his election as pope. What remained was the completion of one of the most elegant and artful chapels, in one of the principal churches in Rome, where his family had found their eternal rest. The importance the family had for his pontificate can also be seen in the appointment of his relatives to offices in the Church. At the beginning of his term as pope, Alexander had taken a critical position on nepotism, 12 seeing that the practice of placing an inordinate number of close family members in important functions and rewarding them with property, titles, and salaries – something now so widespread it had become standard practice – had led to the almost total collapse of the papal finances. The Papal States’ financial situation was catastrophic following the pontificates of the Aldobrandini (Clement VIII), Borghese (Paul V), Ludovisi (Gregory XV), Barberini (Urban VIII), and Pamphilj (Innocence X) families, and the citizens of Rome and a growing number of Church critics had had enough of this behaviour. It speaks in Alexander VII’s favour that he recognized this problem and intended to counter it. However, his original intentions could not stand up to the political reality and, after only one year, he himself continued with this form of nepotism, by placing his relatives in key positions and providing them with Roman sinecures. This led to the Venetian ambassador in Rome, Pietro Basadonna, remarking: “The first, highly acclaimed action of the new pontiff was to exclude his relatives with the greatest resolve. Everybody was delighted when the longed-for decree was proclaimed.” But the joy was not long-lasting: “[…] and not just one brother, not just one nephew, but a f lood of Chigi have inundated Rome. This made an even worse impression than if they had appeared at the begin- ning of the pontificate, as this would have been excused as being customary and a long-famil- iar evil, but now, after the doctor had promised a cure, the news of death seemed all the more astonishing.” 13 The fact that this was less due to personal weaknesses on the part of the pope and more to structural circumstances can also be seen in the fact that quite a few years would pass before the Romanum decit Pontifecem bull banning the office of cardinal-nephew and limiting nepotism was issued by Pope Innocence XII (r. 1691 – 1700). In 1665, Alexander VII’s brother Mario (1594 – 1669), and his son Flavio (1631 – 1693) came to Rome with the approval of the College of Cardinals, as did two other nephews, Agostino (1634 – 1705) and Sigismondo (1649 – 1678), who were the sons of Augusto (1595– 1661), the brother of Fabio and Mario. Mario Chigi, who had had a career as an official in the admin­ istration in Siena, was named Capitano generale della Chiesa , commander of the papal army. Sigismondo, a son from Augusto Chigi’s second marriage who was only six years old at the beginning of the pontificate, initially played a less important role. Although he began a curial career and followed in his uncle’s footsteps as legate in Ferrara and as an intellectual, he was appointed cardinal by Clement IX just seven months after the death of Alexander VII. 14 He died at the young age of 29 and was buried in the family chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo on 2 May 1678. His half-brother Agostino Chigi became the worldly representative of the Chigi