Papal Bull in handwritten parchment of Pope Pius VII with lead seal - circa 1809 Parchment dimensions: Width 50 cm x Height 30 cm Historical regesta dimensions: width 29.7 x height 42 cm Material: parchment In good condition. Fast shipping via DHL express courier. Rare papal seal (bulla or lead coin), the most distinctive feature of the Bull was the metal seal, the bulla whose term is then passed to indicate the entire document. The seal was generally made of lead, but in very solemn occasions it was made of gold. The seal represented the founders of the Church of Rome, the Apostles Peter and Paul, identified by the letters Sanctus PAulus and Sanctus PEtrus. The name of the Pope who would issue the Bull was written in the back. The seal was applied to the document or by cords of hemp (in the case of letters of Justice and enforceable), or red and yellow silk (in the case of letters of grace) knotted through small openings in the document itself. Since the late 18th century the seal has been replaced by a red ink stamp of Saints Peter and Paul with the reigning Pope's name encircling the picture, although very formal letters, such as the Bull of Pope John XXIII who convened The Second Vatican Council, still bear the seal. Pope Pius VII, in Latin: Pius PP. VII, born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi (in religion Gregory) Chiaramonti (Cesena, August 14, 1742 – Rome, August 20, 1823) was the 251st Bishop of Rome and Pope of the Catholic Church from the year 1800 until his death; he belonged to the Benedictine order. But because Napoleon wanted to force the Pope to attend his coronation? The idea of Napoleon was of holding the Pope in France, but he eventually relented, realising that if the Pope had not returned, the Cardinals would have thought had given up and would have elected a new Pope. It was the first tension. In 1806 Napoleon threatened the Pope when Britain asked the Pontiff to abstain before the continental blockade to France. "His Holiness is ruler of Rome, but I am the Emperor; all my enemies must be his," he wrote. In 1808 the tensions increased. The Emperor's troops entered the Eternal City, and the Pope retired to the Quirinale. Napoleon managed to annex part of the territory, but wanted more. In 1809 he decreed the annexation of the rest of the territories and let the Pontiff remaining at his residence in Rome. Pius VII performed the most severe sentence that can occur in the Church and excommunicated the emperor. Some would claim that it was no excommunication because it not mentioned the name of the Pontiff, but nothing helped. The Bull Quam memorandum was very clear: "it excommunicated the thieves of the heritage of Saint Peter". The relationships ended up breaking, and Napoleon decided to arrest the Pope. When the troops entered the Quirinal, Pius VII offered no resistance. At that time the Pope uttered the most famous phrase of his pontificate. Asked if he renounced to the Papal States and if withdrawing the excommunication, the answer was clear: “We cannot, we must not, we don't want”