Sedia gestatoria Maria in Aracoeli. Pope John Paul I initially declined to use the ceremonial throne carried on shoulders, along with several other symbols of papal authority, but was eventually convinced that it was necessary to make him visible to the crowds in Saint Peter's Square. He was the last pope to use the portable throne. Pope John Paul II discontinued the use of a throne carried on shoulders in 1978. Neither of his successors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, has revived it. The "sedia gestatoria" has been replaced outdoors by the motorized "Popemobile", which is often heavily protected and even
Ekaterina Sedia Ekaterina Sedia Ekaterina Sedia (born July 9, 1970) is a Russian fantasy writer. She immigrated to the United States and attended college in New Jersey to obtain her Ph.D. She is best known as a fantasy author. Her most famous work is "The Alchemy of Stone", a steampunk novel that examines sexism and class bigotry. Sedia's other novels include "The Secret History of Moscow", "According to Crow", and "The House of Discarded Dreams". She has also written several short fiction stories, poems, and nonfiction books. Several of her publications have been nominated for awards and/or have made a well-known reading