Appartamenti di Papa Pio VII

Behind Savona's cathedral, the piano nobile of the old bishops' palace keeps the rooms where Napoleon held Pope Pius VII prisoner from 1809 to 1812. Original furnishings, frescoed ceilings and a hidden tribune over the cathedral nave make this one of Liguria's most unusual house museums.

Why it matters

For almost three years Pope Pius VII lived in Savona as Napoleon's captive. The official city tourism portal recounts how he was installed in August 1809 in the Palazzo Vescovile, whose resident bishop, Vincenzo Maria Maggioli, moved to the seminary. The state prefect, Chabrol, had the rooms fitted with ceremonial furnishings so the pope would appear to the world as an honoured guest rather than a prisoner. That contrast between courtly staging and captivity gives the palace its historical significance.

What to notice

The pope's quarters faced inward onto the convent cloister, reflecting the limits placed on contact with the town. Stefano Brusco's frescoed ceilings, an antechamber with eighteenth-century canvases, and the damask-walled throne room with its canopy preserve the rooms' ceremonial character. The frescoed studiolo includes concealed observation points used by guards. In the bedroom, an Empire-style bed stands beneath a canopy of green and ochre silk, with a bedside table and prie-dieu associated with papal daily life. Portraits of Pius VII include a blessing portrait by Gaspare D. Rastellino. A narrow passage leads to a tribune above the cathedral nave, from which the pope could attend services unseen.

Context and history

Pius VII arrived in Savona in the summer of 1809 after being removed from Rome, and stayed until the night of 9-10 June 1812, when he was ordered to leave immediately for Fontainebleau. He remained in French custody until 1814, when he was released and returned to Rome. Savona's treatment of the pope during the captivity was remembered with gratitude: the cathedral site records that he blessed the faithful from the marble loggia on the flank of the cathedral, where the papal coat of arms is still visible, and that Via Pia took its name in memory of the Savonese years, replacing the old street name Fossavaria. After Napoleon's fall the pope returned voluntarily, and on 10 May 1815 he crowned the statue of Our Lady of Mercy in the city's sanctuary, as the Holy See's bulletin recalled on the bicentenary.