An Egyptian
obelisk made of red granite, which stands today in the piazza of St. Peter’s, the
Vatican. Also called the St. Peter Obelisk. It is the 2nd largest obelisk in Rome, standing at slightly over 75 feet in height and weighing approximately 330 tons. It is one of two Roman obelisks that have no intentional markings or hieroglyphics, the other being
The Obelisk of Esquiline.
The Vatican Obelisk was originally erected at
Heliopolis by an unknown pharaoh. The Emperor
Augustus had it moved to the
Julian Forum of
Alexandria, where it stood until year 37 A.D., when
Caligula ordered the forum demolished and the obelisk transferred to Rome. He placed it in the center of the
Circus, where it would preside over
Nero's countless brutal games and Christian executions.
In 1586, Pope
Sixtus V decided to have it moved near the
Saint Peter's Basilica. The job was given to
Domenico Fontana, the architect who built the
Lantern Palace and reconstructed the
Vatican Library. Within this library is a fresco documenting his herculean task, which utilized nearly 1,000 men, 150 horses, a huge earthen ramp, and
innumerable levers, wedges, and hoists. Legend said that a bronze globe of the top of the obelisk contained the ashes of
Julius Cesar. The globe, which proved to be empty, was removed by Sixtus V, who had it replaced by a bronze
cross. Eighty years later
Bernini designed the modern St. Peter’s square, with its impressive elliptic
colonnade around the obelisk. In 1818 four Egyptian lions were added to its base.
Why erect an Egyptian obelisk at the center of the
Catholic universe? The
pope stated that it was in memory of the martyrdom of
St. Peter, which is a testament to his public relations skills. An obvious reason behind the erection was simple
aesthetics, as obelisks naturally guide the eye and are
pleasing symbols of might. But perhaps the real reason had more to do with power. The manipulation of the monolith was clearly an expression of dominance on the part of the Vatican, just as it had been for the Roman emperors who had stolen great artifacts from Egypt centuries earlier. The scope of the project demonstrated to all the authority of Sixtus V, who was able to grant Fontana extraordinary powers to requisition any labor, tools and materials required for the task, and to punish any who dared impede the work with imprisonment or even
death.