The Banquet of Chestnuts: The Papal Orgy of 1501 in Vatican

The evening, which began with a sumptuous feast and flowing wine, descended into a shocking display of debauchery and excess.

As the banquet drew to a close, the atmosphere became increasingly charged. Servants cleared the tables and arranged candelabras on the floor, while fifty dancing prostitutes began to disrobe. Once completely naked, they re-entered the banqueting hall, where Pope Alexander VI, Cesare, and his sister Lucretia watched. According to Johannes Burchard, the pope’s Master of Ceremonies, the women then crawled on hands and knees, collecting chestnuts strewn around the floor in a sexually suggestive display.

Pope Alexander VI

The night quickly escalated into an orgy, with prizes offered to those who could perform sexual acts the most frequently with the courtesans. Pope Alexander VI himself distributed these rewards, including silk tunics and shoes, to the cardinals and priests who participated most enthusiastically. Despite attempts by modern Vatican historians to downplay the event, the accounts of witnesses like Burchard lend credibility to these lurid details.

Pope Alexander VI, born Rodrigo Borgia, was one of the most controversial figures of the Renaissance. Known for his corruption, nepotism, and licentiousness, he had numerous mistresses and illegitimate children. His first mistress, Vannozza dei Cattanei, bore him four children, including Cesare and Lucretia, both of whom were present at the Banquet of Chestnuts.

Despite his scandalous behavior, Pope Alexander VI was respected by some future popes, such as Sixtus V and Urban VIII, who regarded him as one of the greatest popes since St. Peter. However, his legacy is also marked by the infamous Banquet of Chestnuts, a night that epitomized the decadence and moral corruption of his papacy.