The Scaliger Tombs (Italian: ''Arche scaligere'') is a group of five Gothic funerary monuments in

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, celebrating the

Scaliger The House of Della Scala, whose members were known as Scaligeri () or Scaligers (; from the Latinized ''de Scalis''), was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years. History ...

family, who ruled in Verona from the 13th to the late 14th century. The tombs are located in a court outside the church of Santa Maria Antica, separated from the street by a wall with iron grilles. Built in Gothic style, they are a series of tombs, mostly freestanding open

tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...

-like structures rising high above the ground, with a

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

surmounted by an elaborate

baldachin A baldachin, or baldaquin (from ), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent Architecture, architectural feature, particularly over Alta ...

, topped by a statue of the deceased, mounted and wearing armour. According to the French historian

Georges Duby Georges Duby (; 7 October 1919 – 3 December 1996) was a French historian who specialised in the social and economic history of the Middle Ages. He ranks among the most influential medieval historians of the twentieth century and was one of Fra ...

, they are one of the most outstanding examples of Gothic art.

Description

The tombs are placed within an enclosure of

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

grilles decorated with a stair motif, referring to the name of the Della Scala family, meaning "of the stairs" in Italian. Although these tombs are located in a crowded area in the city, they have stood for five hundred years and counting. The stone pillars of the enclosure have statues of saints. The tombs are those of the following notable members of the Scaliger dynasty: * Cangrande I. This was the first tomb built, in the 14th century, according to the will of the deceased, the most famous Scaliger ruler of the city. The designer was the architect of the church of Sant'Anastasia, who planned it in the shape of a Gothic tabernacle, supported by richly harnessed dogs ('' Cangrande'' meaning "Big dog" in Italian). Unlike the later tabernacles, it is built out from the church wall, over a doorway, rather than being free-standing. On the sarcophagus lies a recumbent effigy statue of the lord, characterized by an unusual smile. The sarcophagus is decorated on each side by high

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

s with religious themes and low reliefs with military themes. On the summit of the baldachin is an equestrian statue of Cangrande, now replaced by a copy (the original is in the museum of Castelvecchio). * Mastino II. Begun in 1345, this tomb was modified during its construction. It was originally painted and gilt, and is enclosed by a railing with four statues of the Virtues at the corners. The faces of the funerary urn are decorated by religious motifs; on the sepulchre cover lies again the deceased's statue, guarded by two angels. The baldachin has religious themes sculpted on the pediment, and is also surmounted by an equestrian statue of Mastino II. * Cansignorio. Dating from 1375, and the most richly decorated. It was designed by Bonino da Campione, and has sculptures portraying warrior saints, Gospel figures, the Virtues and the Apostles, and a large equestrian statue of Cansignorio. * Alberto II. Unlike the others, it has no baldachin but only a

, though richly decorated. It dates from 1301. * Giovanni. This monument is built into the wall of the church. It was finished in 1359 by Andriolo de' Santi, and until 1400 it was located in the church of San Fermo Maggiore, before being moved to join the others. The tomb of Cansignorio della Scala has been copied in the Brunswick Monument (1879) in

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, Switzerland.

Gallery

Verona 046.JPG, Mastino II's tomb on the left, Cangrande I's to the right. Santa Maria Antica VR.jpg, Tomb of Cangrande I Arche scaligere (Verona) L'arca di Cangrande.jpg, Sarcophagus and effigy of Cangrande I Arche scaligere (Verona) Mastino II.jpg, Tomb of Mastino II, from 1345 Verona 050.JPG, Detail of Mastino's tomb Verona 059.JPG, Tomb of Cansignorio della Scala, 1375 Arca Scaligera.jpg, Top of Cansignorio's tomb Cansignorio.jpg, Detail of Cansignorio's statue Sommer, Giorgio (1834-1914) - Verona, Tomba dei scaligeri - n. 6708.jpg, Pre-1914 photograph Scaliger detail.JPG, Detail of the grilles Anton Brioschi Scagliergräber in Verona.jpg, Watercolour of the tombs and setting, by 1920 Arca di Guglielmo da Castelbarco (Verona).jpg, Tomb of Guglielmo da Castelbarco, nearby

References

{{reflist 14th-century architecture Monuments and memorials in Veneto Buildings and structures in Verona Gothic sculptures Tourist attractions in Verona Scaliger family