Pignatelli di Spinazzola memorial stone

The marble inlay of the Pignatelli.

The present arrangement of the cathedral floor dates from the 1950s and was commissioned by Cardinal Alessio Ascalesi (1924-1952). The restoration of the floor is recorded by a marble epigraph placed near the central door. At the crossing of the transept, between the throne and the pulpit, lies the tomb with bronze ornaments, commissioned by Cardinal Antonio Pignatelli (1686-1691), elected Pope under the name of Innocent XII, which was later given to his successor, Cardinal Cantelmo, who placed it at the disposal of the family of Pope Pignatelli di Spinazzola.

The memorial stone, set into the floor, is realised according to the technique of execution and decoration of marble inlay. The small polychrome stone slabs were shaped in various forms to create the overall geometric design; each element is laid, following the traditional technique, onto the mother slab, or cassetta, with a paste composed of vegetable resin (colophony) and a carbonate aggregate. Enriching the memorial stone are the coat of arms of the house and other geometric and phytomorphic elements in bronze.

The work was restored thanks to the direct contribution of the family and to the intervention of Russo Marmi.