In the floor of the Collegiate Church of St. Quirico is the tombstone of Count Henry of Nassau, Prince of Orange.
Count Henry of Nassau, Germanic, of the House of Orange, returning from the Holy Year pilgrimage of 1450, after contracting malaria fevers in the Roman countryside, died in San Quirico and was buried in the parish church (
Collegiate Church)
. It was January 17, 1451. In the tombstone that his town had carved in the mid-15th century, he is dressed as a warrior and natural height.
A lion cub is placed at the foot to demonstrate the warrior’s power, although popular tradition has it that the canine of the deceased count stood at the foot of the grave, remaining there until his death.
The tombstone was moved to its present location during the 1936 renovations by removing it from the opposite wall where the stucco pulpit used to be.
In 1956 the reigning family of Holland came to the Collegiate and became interested in her burial. It was then decided to fence the stone with a red cord to prevent it from being stepped on and to highlight it.
