Editing Pope Alexander VII (section)

== Death ==
{{Main|Tomb of Pope Alexander VII}}
[[File:Tombstone of Pope Alexander VII St. Peter's Basilica Vatican.jpg|thumb|375x375px|The [[tomb of Pope Alexander VII]], by Gianlorenzo Bernini]]

Alexander VII died at age 68 from [[Chronic kidney disease|kidney failure]]. His health had initially begun to fail around March, with his ailment consistently causing him great pain. He kept his coffin in his bedroom, and a skull (carved by famed sculptor [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini|Bernini]]) on his writing table, because he was always aware that he would someday die. Suddenly taken by a fever on 18 May, he died on 22 May. A seventeenth-century pamphlet credited to [[Philip Ayres (poet)|Ayres]], titled ''A short Account of the Life and Death of Pope Alexander VII'', contains many fascinating details about Alexander's passing. According to this pamphlet, Alexander, although bedridden, wanted to celebrate the Passion to ready himself for his impending death. Neither his surgeon nor his confessor was able to persuade him to save his strength. He blessed the large crowd of people on [[Easter day|Easter]], the last time they would ever see him alive.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvXeCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA209 |title=The Deaths of the Popes. Alexander VII |publisher=Wendy J. Reardon |date=2004 |access-date=19 January 2019 |isbn=9781476602318}}</ref>

A precise and detailed account of the pope's last days is given in the ''Diary'' of the principal Master of Ceremonies, Fulvio Servantio, an official eyewitness to all the proceedings.<ref>Joannes Baptista Gattico, ''Acta selecta caeremonialia sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae, ex variis mss. codicibus et diariis saeculi xv. xvi. xvii.'' {{in lang|la}} Tomus I (Romae: Bsrbierini 1753), pp. 468-471.</ref>

Short Account of the Life and Death of Pope Alexander VII:<ref>{{cite web |date=1667 |title=A short account of the life and death of pope Alexander the VII. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UepbAAAAQAAJ&q=death+of+Alexander+VII |access-date=22 January 2019 |publisher=Moses Pitt at the White Hart |pages=5–8}}</ref>

{{Poem quote|text=Promoted to the cardinalship eight of those select persons, whom he supposed, for their great worth and labours, bestowed for the good of the Papal See, had merited the advancement to so high dignity.<br> 
But his disease increasing, four days after, he was assaulted by a grievous fit, from which he concluded that his sickness was mortal, and not withstanding, it grew more and more violent daily, yet for all this, he had thoughts of performing the long ceremonies of Holy Thursday, to prepare himself for death, as he said, by meditating on the sacred mysteries of the passion of Jesus Christ, and would have executed his intentions in despight of his pains, if his physicians and chyrurgeons, together with his confessor had not persuaded him to the contrary; remonstrating to him the inconveniencies which might arise, from the hard labours which are inseparable from such prolixe ceremonies. And although he was perswaded by them all that time, yet was he resolved with that little strength he had left him (though much broken and extenuated by his disease) on Easter-day upon the Gallery of Monte Cavallo, where this function is used to be performed, with a solemn benediction in Pontificalthus, to bless the people, which there flocked in exceeding great multitudes, being driven there-unto not only out of devotion, but also by a desire of seeing their pastor yet whole and alive. He blessed them, having raised himself up twice according to the custom, without the help of the pontifical seat; and this was the lat time that he saw his flock, or they him. 

Ex lastly, be recommends to their care and protection, his Cardinal Nephew, his aged brother, and the rest of his kindred, and himself to their prayers. This being spoken, he lifted up his hands and blessed them, and then their eminencies approached to the bed side with tears in their eyes, and after they had taken pains to comfort him, with great tenderness they kissed his hand, and departed.<ref>A brief account of the pope's speech, and the cardinals' reply, is given in a manuscript published by: Hugo Laemmer, ''Zur Kirchensgeschichte des sechszehnten und siebenzehnten Jahrhunderts'' {{in lang|de|la}} (Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder 1863), pp. 53-54.</ref>

At last, they being all departed, and only his familiar friends and ghostly-fathers continuing in the room with him, he altogether applied himself to his devotion, often repeating these words, Cupio disolvi et esse cum Christo ["I desire to be discharged from my debt and to be with Christ"]. And those which assisted him he caused continually to read spiritual books, & divers prayers, and psalms, especially the penitential psalms, &c.

After he had received both the Eucharist and the Extreme Unction, he disposed himself for his Transit, with a marvelous undantedness;  and had already even lost his Speech, when one of his religious men standing by exhorted him to do an act of contrition, and to aske God pardon of his sins, he collecting his breath, which was flying away, with a most lanquisting voice, which could hardly be understood, answered Ita ["Yes"]. The same added that he should hope in the mercies of God, who is always ready to shower down his mercies upon a penitent heart; the pope answered with the same weakness of speech, Certe ["Certainly"]. Which were the last words which proceeded out of his mouth.

He was often visited by the cardinals, contrary to the former customs, who were willing to be round about his bed till his end. And on Sunday the 22. of May, about 22. of the clock, he quietly rendred his spirits to his Creator, in the 60 year of his age, and 13 of his pontificate; and the same evening, the usual ceremony being performed by the cardinal lord Chamberlain, the corps were arrayed in the accustomed vestments, put into a litter of crimson velvet open on all sides, compassed round about by the penitentiary fathers, with lighted torches in their hands, accompanied by the guards and light horses, followed by the artillery, and with the Rexe Guard of Curiassiers, being carried to the Vatican, and there the next morning opened, there was found on one part of the lungs, fastned to one of his sides, a touch of a black spot; one of his kidneys wasted, and some carnosities of fleshy kyrnels instead of it, from whence the passage of the urine was hindred; and an ulcer of the reins, which of all his other diseases was the worst: from thence, being embalmed and pontifically appareled, he was carried the next day to the cathedral of St. Peter, and placed in the chapel of the most Holy Sacrament, where was a concourse of an infinite number of people, to kiss his feet, and take from him whatsoever they could lay hands on, to preserve to themselves as holy reliques. Finis}}

Alexander VII died in 1667 and was memorialised in a [[tomb of Pope Alexander VII|spectacular tomb]] by Bernini. However, [[Pope Innocent XI]] ordered that the naked Truth be covered up with a drapery colored in white.<ref name=UC/> It is famous for the skeleton holding a gilded hourglass, just above the doors. He was succeeded by [[Pope Clement IX]] (1667–1669). As the pope lay dying, he said to the cardinals gathered at his bedside: "We never aspired to the tiara, nor took any steps to reach it. We have employed the moneys of the apostolical chamber solely in the service of the Catholic religion, and the embellishment of Rome and the building of churches. We were a whole year pontiff before we summoned any relative of ours to Rome, and we only at length did so because the Sacred College vanquished our unwillingness. We exhort you to elect a successor qualified to repair any errors we have committed in our pontificate".<ref name=UC/>