Raphael's Tomb in the Pantheon

Where to find Raphael's tomb

Walk through the bronze doors and turn left. The tomb is on the left-hand side of the rotunda as you walk clockwise from the doors — a rectangular alcove behind a low railing. You will usually find a small group standing in front of it. Look for the kneeling Madonna above and an antique Roman sarcophagus below.

Who Raphael was

Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino (1483–1520) is one of the three central figures of the High Renaissance, alongside Leonardo and Michelangelo. In his twenties he was already painting the papal apartments in the Vatican for Julius II; from 1514 he held the post of architect of the new St Peter's. He ran the largest workshop in Rome, and he died at the height of it.

His death in April 1520

Raphael died in Rome in April 1520, aged 37, after an illness of roughly two weeks that contemporaries described as a fever. The traditional date is Good Friday, 6 April, which later writers linked to his birthday; the birth date itself is not securely documented, so treat the "died on his birthday" detail as tradition rather than fact.

The unfinished Transfiguration is reported to have been displayed near his bier, and the funeral procession to the Pantheon was described as exceptionally large. He was buried in the Pantheon within days of his death.

What Vasari claims — and what is documented

Almost every dramatic detail of Raphael's death comes from Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists, first published in 1550 — thirty years after the event, by a writer who was building an argument about artistic genius. It is worth separating the two layers:

Modern retrospective diagnoses — malaria, typhoid, pneumonia — are informed speculation from the reported symptoms, not conclusions. The honest answer is that we do not know what killed him.

Why the Pantheon

Raphael spent his last years surveying and recording the ancient monuments of Rome for the papal court, and the Pantheon stood at the centre of that study as the most complete surviving ancient building in the city. Burial inside it — as reported by the early sources — reads as both personal homage and an architect's statement.

The Madonna del Sasso

Above the tomb stands the Madonna del Sasso ("Madonna of the Rock"), carved by Raphael's pupil Lorenzetto (Lorenzo Lotti) as part of the burial arrangements Raphael provided for. It is the closest thing in the building to a posthumous work from his circle.

Cardinal Bembo's epitaph

The Latin couplet carved at the tomb is traditionally attributed to the humanist Cardinal Pietro Bembo:

"Ille hic est Raffael, timuit quo sospite vinci
rerum magna parens et moriente mori."

"Here lies Raphael, by whom Nature herself feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he was dying, feared herself to die." It became one of the most quoted epitaphs in European art history and was echoed on the tombs of later painters.

The 1833 exhumation

By the early nineteenth century the exact location of the grave was genuinely disputed, and rival claims about which skull was Raphael's circulated in Roman academies. In 1833 the grave was formally opened in the presence of officials and artists, a skeleton was found in the expected position, and the remains were re-interred in the antique Roman sarcophagus now visible beneath the Madonna. That examination is why the identification is treated as settled.

Why the tomb still matters

Raphael's burial changed how the Pantheon was used. Later artists — among them Annibale Carracci, Baldassare Peruzzi and Taddeo Zuccari — were buried in the same building, and the painters' academy took an interest in maintaining the tomb. The ancient temple gradually became a resting place for artists as well as a church.

For the full list of who else is buried inside, see the tombs inside the Pantheon explained.

Sources and further reading

• Encyclopaedia Britannica — Raphael: life, work and death
• Giorgio Vasari, Lives of the Most Excellent Painters — full text (Project Gutenberg)
• Accademia Nazionale di San Luca — collections and Raphael documentation
• Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres — official liturgical life and Mass schedule
• Direzione Musei nazionali della città di Roma (Ministry of Culture) — official Pantheon page: hours, tickets and access
• Encyclopaedia Britannica — Pantheon, Rome: structure, dating and history

Facts on this page last checked: August 2026. Prices, opening hours and transport routes in Rome change — always confirm with the official source before your visit.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Raphael buried in the Pantheon?

Early sources report that burial in the Pantheon was Raphael's own wish, granted with papal permission. He was interred there within days of his death in April 1520.

Where is Raphael's tomb in the Pantheon?

On the left-hand side of the rotunda as you walk clockwise from the doors. It is clearly labelled and usually has visitors gathered in front of it.

How did Raphael die?

He died in Rome in April 1520 after a short illness described in contemporary accounts as a fever. Giorgio Vasari, writing decades later, attributed it to excess followed by mistaken treatment. That is a literary account, not a medical record; the actual cause is not established.

What does the inscription on Raphael's tomb say?

The Latin couplet attributed to Cardinal Pietro Bembo: 'Ille hic est Raffael timuit quo sospite vinci / rerum magna parens et moriente mori' — 'Here lies Raphael, by whom Nature herself feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he was dying, feared herself to die.'

Is Raphael's body still there?

Yes. Because the exact spot had been disputed, the grave was opened and examined in 1833, and the remains were re-interred in the antique sarcophagus you see today.