A popeless jubilee

In 1342, the city of Rome started making arrangements for the Jubilee of 1350. This was to be the second Jubilee in history, following the first in 1300, but this time the circumstances were markedly different. Since 1309, the Papacy was no longer based in Rome, and the Pope’s residence had been moved to Avignon. This meant that the Pope would not be physically present in the Eternal City for the Jubilee. However, the city of Rome strongly wanted the event to take place, and when it finally came, in the aftermath of the Black Death of 1348 and after a devastating earthquake in 1349, the influx of pilgrims brought a wave of optimism and hope to the devastated Eternal City.

This month, the Markets of Trajan – Museum of the Imperial Fora will be commemorating this extraordinary Jubilee by hosting the exhibition 1350. The Jubilee Without a Pope. Organized into thematic sections, the exhibition presents works—often little known— coming from important Italian and foreign collections, as well as from Rome’s own heritage. Among the most remarkable works on display are the model of the Palais des Papes in Avignon, the statue of the Archangel Michael slaying the dragon, and that of Saint Veronica; the map of Rome in the shape of a lion; some writings by Francesco Petrarch concerning the legend of the gilded bronze globe that crowned the Vatican obelisk (believed to be the urn containing the ashes of Julius Caesar); and the frontal cast of the Ara Coeli slab depicting the vision of Emperor Augustus.
The exhibition runs until February 1, 2026. mercatiditraiano.it