For the last twenty years of his life James Stuart (Old Pretender), the son of the deposed English King James II and claimant to his father’s throne, lived in the Palazzo Balestra together with his wife Maria Clementina Sobieska, granddaughter of the Polish king, John III Sobieski. The palace sits within the shadows of the Santi Apostoli Basilica. James died in the palazzo in 1766, and his body lay in state inside the basilica for five days before his royal burial service in St. Peter’s.
Three other palaces lie in the shadow of the Santi Apostoli Basilica: Palazzo Odescalchi with a Bernini designed facade, Palazzo Guglielmi, and Palazzo Colonna, owned still by the Colonna family. The Colonna Palace houses one of the City’s largest, private art collections. Palazzo Odescalchi passed through the hands of several papal families (Colonna, Ludovisi, Chigi) during the 17th century before its acquisition by the Odescalchi in 1693. Many architects, including Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, contributed to its designs throughout several significant renovations and additions. This palace and Palazzo Montecitorio were the only two Bernini designed in the City. In the 18th century the palace was finally completed by the Odescalchi when seven bays were added to the façade.
