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Description
This obelisk, along with those in Piazza dell'Esquilino and Piazza del Quirinale, does not have decorated sides. It is possible that these obelisks were brought to Rome unfinished directly from the excavation site, attributing the lack of decoration or inscriptions to the premature death of the pharaoh who had commissioned them.
The relevance of the Vatican obelisk is given above all by the importance of the surrounding scenery. It is made of red granite and is over 25 meters high. Originally, it was supposed to reach 45 meters, but perhaps it broke during the erection, on the orders of Augustus, in the Julian Forum of Alexandria.
In 37 AD, Emperor Caligula ordered its transfer to Rome, where it was erected in the Vatican Circus or Circus of Caligula and Nero. According to tradition, in this place numerous Christians were martyred, including Saint Peter himself.
The fact that, unlike the others, this obelisk has always remained standing, is attributed precisely to the importance it held for the people who considered it a witness to such sorrowful events. And it is certain then that, given its proximity to the surrounding buildings, if it had been demolished, it would have risked crashing into them. From the place of the first Roman placement it was moved following the nearby work for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica.
After various projects that were not executed, the transport to the center of St. Peter's Square was carried out thanks to the firm will of Pope Sixtus V, who entrusted the grandiose project directly to Domenico Fontana (1543-1607). On this occasion, the contents of the globe at the top (now kept in the Capitoline Museums) was also examined, which was believed to contain the ashes of Caesar, but nothing else but dust was found.
There are a large number of contemporary engravings that illustrate, as in a modern reportage, the phases of the cumbersome transport. The relocation in the Square, which took place without any incident and in a very short time, was followed with anxiety by the entire population who on the last day carried Domenico Fontana in triumph.
The obelisk was erected "at sunset" on September 10, 1586.
The relevance of the Vatican obelisk is given above all by the importance of the surrounding scenery. It is made of red granite and is over 25 meters high. Originally, it was supposed to reach 45 meters, but perhaps it broke during the erection, on the orders of Augustus, in the Julian Forum of Alexandria.
In 37 AD, Emperor Caligula ordered its transfer to Rome, where it was erected in the Vatican Circus or Circus of Caligula and Nero. According to tradition, in this place numerous Christians were martyred, including Saint Peter himself.
The fact that, unlike the others, this obelisk has always remained standing, is attributed precisely to the importance it held for the people who considered it a witness to such sorrowful events. And it is certain then that, given its proximity to the surrounding buildings, if it had been demolished, it would have risked crashing into them. From the place of the first Roman placement it was moved following the nearby work for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica.
After various projects that were not executed, the transport to the center of St. Peter's Square was carried out thanks to the firm will of Pope Sixtus V, who entrusted the grandiose project directly to Domenico Fontana (1543-1607). On this occasion, the contents of the globe at the top (now kept in the Capitoline Museums) was also examined, which was believed to contain the ashes of Caesar, but nothing else but dust was found.
There are a large number of contemporary engravings that illustrate, as in a modern reportage, the phases of the cumbersome transport. The relocation in the Square, which took place without any incident and in a very short time, was followed with anxiety by the entire population who on the last day carried Domenico Fontana in triumph.
The obelisk was erected "at sunset" on September 10, 1586.