The château of Fontainebleau hosted Pope Pius VII twice: first as a guest, as he travelled to Napoleon's coronation in 1804, then as prisoner, between 1812 and 1814. From 1796 until 1814, Rome and Paris were most notably embroiled in a bitter struggle over iconography. The exhibition at Fontainebleau looks their diplomatic gifts, stolen artistic treasures, and the official French propaganda celebrating the Concordat of 1801 and defending the invasion of the Papal States in 1808 and the arrest of Pius VII in 1809. Napoleon I and Pius VII finally came head-to-head in 1812 at Fontainebleau. The exhibition contains nearly 130 items, some never displayed before, including loans from the Vatican museum and the papal sacristy.
The exhibition is held in the Papal apartment and the Salle de la Belle Cheminée of the castle.
More information (in French) on the website of the Chateau de Fontainebleau.
For entry prices and opening hours, see here.
Château de Fontainebleau
77300 Fontainebleau
France
Tel: (+33) (0)1 60 71 50 70
Exhibition at Fontainebleau: ‘Pie VII face à Napoléon’
Exhibition
from 28/03/2015 to 29/06/2015
