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Holy See (Vatican City)

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At age 24, Michelangelo Buonarroti was commissioned by French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères to sculpt La Pietà (meaning "compassion" in Italian) for the cardinal's funerary chapel in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. In the 18th century, the 174 cm x 195 cm (68.5 in x 76.8 in) masterpiece, carved from a single block of Carrara marble, was moved to its current site inside the basilica. Considered one of the finest sculptures ever crafted, it is the only piece Michelangelo signed, after he heard a passerby attribute the work to someone else.
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<p>about 0.7 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC</p>

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