Roman Catholic Pope. He came from a noble but impoverished family. He was educated at the Jesuit College of Cesena and studied law at Ferrara. Early in his reign, he was faced with the attempts of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II to "reform" the church by suppressing monasteries, assuming rights of appointment of clergy, and making other changes. In 1797, a treaty at Tolentino ceded Avignon, Venaissin, Ferrara, Bologna, and the Romagna to the French, along with a huge indemnity and many papal treasures. The pope was taken to Siena, thence to Florence; soon, though he was ill and feeble, the French took him to Turin and to Grenoble. Aged 82 and poorly treated by his captors, he died in exile. His last words: "Lord forgive them." He was succeeded by Pope Pius VII. Pius VI was initially buried in Valences, France, but on February 17, 1802, his remains were transferred to Saint Peter's Basilica, where a statue by Canova of Pope Pius VI in a kneeling position was placed in 1822.
Roman Catholic Pope. He came from a noble but impoverished family. He was educated at the Jesuit College of Cesena and studied law at Ferrara. Early in his reign, he was faced with the attempts of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II to "reform" the church by suppressing monasteries, assuming rights of appointment of clergy, and making other changes. In 1797, a treaty at Tolentino ceded Avignon, Venaissin, Ferrara, Bologna, and the Romagna to the French, along with a huge indemnity and many papal treasures. The pope was taken to Siena, thence to Florence; soon, though he was ill and feeble, the French took him to Turin and to Grenoble. Aged 82 and poorly treated by his captors, he died in exile. His last words: "Lord forgive them." He was succeeded by Pope Pius VII. Pius VI was initially buried in Valences, France, but on February 17, 1802, his remains were transferred to Saint Peter's Basilica, where a statue by Canova of Pope Pius VI in a kneeling position was placed in 1822.
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