The obilisk in St Peter's Square, brought from Heliopolis in Egypt to Rome by Emperor Caligula in 37 Reerected in front of St Peter's Basilica.
At the center of the ovato tondo stands an uninscribed Egyptian obelisk of red granite, m (84 ft) tall, supported on bronze lions and surmounted by the Chigi arms in bronze, in all 41 m (135 ft) to the cross on its top. The obelisk was originally erected at Heliopolis, Egypt, by an unknown pharaoh. A reconstruction of the Old Basilica of St Peters in 1450; at left is the obelisk St. Peter's Square obelisk The Emperor Augustus had the obelisk moved to the Julian Forum of Alexandria, where it stood until AD 37, when Caligula ordered the forum demolished and the obelisk transferred to Rome. He had it placed on the spina which ran along the center of the Circus of Nero, where it would preside over Nero's countless brutal games and Christian executions.[citation needed] It was moved to its current site in 1586 by the engineer-architect Domenico Fontana under the direction of Pope Sixtus V; the engineering feat of re-erecting its vast weight was memorialized in a suite of engravings. The Vatican Obelisk is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since ancient Roman times. During the Middle Ages, the gilt ball on top of the obelisk was believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar.[9] Fontana later removed the ancient metal ball, now in a Rome museum, that stood atop the obelisk and found only dust. Christopher Hibbert (page 178) writes that the ball was found to be solid. Though Bernini had no influence in the erection of the obelisk, he did use it as the centerpiece of his magnificent piazza, and added the Chigi arms to the top in honor of his patron, Alexander VII. Wikipedia
Size: 2416px × 3623px
Photo credit: © Lars Ørstavik / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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