The beautiful sepulchral monument of the almost unknown physician Altobello d’Ense can be seen in the basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le mura, Rome (via Appia Antica, 136), just passed the entrance doorway, on the right.
The main Latin inscription reads as follows: “ALTOBELLUS D’ENSE / DOMO MONTISCORVINI / ACERNEN MEDICUS / XXXVIAM ANNIS / URBIS INCOLA / CORPORUM Q MORBUS / CURANDO / MORTEM TOLLI / NON POSSE EXPERTUS / SEPULCHRUM SIBI / HOC LOCO / APUD PESTILENTIAE / DEPULSOREM / S.SEBASTIANUM / VIVENS ELEGIT / AN CHRISTI MDCXV / AETATIS L”.
A second mysterious Latin inscription can be read at the bottom of the monument: “NEMO ME LACRYMIS DECORET NEC FUNERA F(I?)ET / VIVITE FELICES ANIMAE MORS OMNIBUS INSTAT””.
- Photos by Luca Borghi @ (October 2019)
- Locate the item on this Google Map