Vatican Museums
15th - 20th century
San Pietro in Vincoli
Rome
432 - 440
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II was born Giuliano della Rovere on December 5, 1443 in Albisola. Elected in 1503, he fundamentally reshaped Rome, commissioning Bramante to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica and Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. He is also credited with founding the Vatican Museums; the collection began in 1506 when he acquired the newly discovered Laocoön and His Sons and displayed it alongside the Apollo Belvedere in the Octagonal Court. His most personal project, a monumental tomb originally intended for St. Peter’s, became a decades-long struggle for Michelangelo known as the "tragedy of the tomb." Drastically scaled down from its initial design, the unfinished monument was eventually installed in the basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli. It features the powerful statue of Moses, depicting the prophet with horns and a fervent expression, serving as the centerpiece of the reduced memorial. Julius II died in Rome on February 21, 1513.