Tomb of Fra Angelico

Fra Angelico died on 18 February 1455 in the convent of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. By the mid-fifteenth century Santa Maria sopra Minerva had become the major church of the Dominicans in Rome, housing the tombs of its most eminent cardinals and the Order’s renowned mystic, St Catherine of Siena. Instead of being laid to rest in the cloister, Angelico was accorded the extraordinary honour of burial within the church. Isaia da Pisa, who carved the tomb of Pope Eugenius IV, portrayed the life-sized effigy. The sculptor represented Angelico with his head resting on a cushion and his hands serenely crossed in death.