Cartouche with the Allegory of the Catholic Church

A bas-relief cartouche with the allegory of the Catholic Church from the tomb of Cardinal Friedrich of Hesse-Darmstadt, located in the Chapel of St. Elizabeth. In the background of the relief is the deceased’s motto: “pro deo et ecclesia” (For God and the Church).

The founder’s tomb is a high-quality Baroque work. Sculpted in the workshop of Giovanni Bernini and modeled after the papal monuments of Urban VIII and Alexander VII. Made of white and grayish marble. The tomb is adorned with putti bearing attributes of the donor’s ecclesiastical dignity, with a skull in the center symbolizing death.

Above the tomb is a coat of arms with a sword and crozier, symbolizing the cardinal’s spiritual and secular authority as the Prince-Bishop of Wrocław and the Emperor’s governor in Silesia. Cardinal Friedrich of Hesse, in a kneeling position, is dressed in a cardinal’s choir robe, signifying high ecclesiastical rank and jurisdiction.

The bishop’s ring, prominently displayed, symbolizes his connection to the governed diocese. The two figures on the sides represent: on the left, the Allegory of Truth, depicted as a woman with a mirror, and on the right, the Allegory of Eternity, adorned with a laurel wreath. The composition is completed by the Allegory of Truth trampling the Allegory of Falsehood and the Allegory of Eternity, contemplative and uncertain, holding a sheaf of ripe wheat and an ouroboros (a snake eating its own tail).