Roman Monographies - Obelisks (part I)

Known as the aguglia (spire) over the Middle Ages, this was one of Rome's legendary features because of a bronze globe at the top, which the people believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar. The legend probably sprung from an ancient dedication inscribed by the base of the obelisk, now barely readable, in which the name of the famous personage can be read.

By the time St.Peter's basilica was rebuilt, during the works pope Sixtus V had the obelisk moved to the center of the square (1586); this proved a difficult job for the renowned architect Giovanni Fontana, whose 900 workers took almost six months to complete this task.

(left) Nero's Circus in a map of ancient Rome printed in 1561,
which shows the legendary globe, now in the Capitoline Museums (above);
(right) the bronze lions on which the obelisk was rested

The pope, whose aversion for popular beliefs was famous (see Legendary Rome, page 7), decided to put an end to this "impure superstition", as a Latin inscription on one side of the tall base says; so the globe was removed and opened. It was obviously found empty.

The top of the spire was then decorated with a cross resting over a star and three hills, two of the three heraldic devices from the coat of arms of Sixtus V, also featured on the two obelisks previously described, and on others that the same pope had moved. The third symbol, the lion, was used for resting the monument on the tall stand (see picture above).

the heraldic devices that
replaced the globe

The old bronze globe was spared from destruction: it is now on display in the Capitoline Museums. A curious detail is that its surface is covered with bullets: they were shot by the Lanquenets, the mercenary soldiers of Charles V, who raided the city during the sack of Rome in 1527, and who likely used the globe, in those days still above the obelisk, as a fun target.

fresco in the Vatican Library (Vatican Museums) showing how the obelisk was raised;
note the great number of workers, and the unfinished basilica of St.Peter's on the left

· 4 ·
Another Egyptian obelisk is the one in piazza di Montecitorio, in front of the building that houses Italy's Parliament.

Also this one comes from Heliopolis, and dates back to about year 600 BC; its hieroglyphs mention pharaoh Psamtik II, who had this monument made in honour of god Ra (i.e. the sun), whence the alternative name of the spire, also called "solar obelisk".
Emperor Octavianus Augustus had it taken to Rome, where it stood in the northern part of the Campus Martis or Field of Mars, a vast ground for military training and sports, roughly corresponding to the area between the Pantheon, the Capitolium and the river Tiber (see Rione IV). Here the obelisk was used as a big sundial; it stood over an enormous quadrant of travertine marble, 160 metres long, where dates and hours of the day were marked with bronze notches. It was also strategically positioned so to throw its shadow in the very center of the Altar of Peace on the emperor's birthday, september 23.
It collapsed likely around the 11th century, and was gradually buried under rubble and other remains.

above: the hole in the bronze globe
and the notches on the pavement;
left: full view of the spire and
detail of the pharaoh's cartouche

Pope Sixtus V started digging it, but the obelisk was stood up again no sooner than by the end of the 18th century. Since the monument was broken in several pieces and several fragments were missing, another ancient column found by the same square was sacrificed and cut for restoring the lost parts of the obelisk. On the same occasion, a bronze globe with a hole was placed on its top, in order to retrieve the original purpose of the monument: at a given time of the day, a ray of light should have crossed the sphere reaching the notches on the square's pavement, thus marking the date. The new device, though, did not prove very precise.
The pillar measures 22 metres (72 feet), 29 metres (95 feet) with the base and the globe.

· 5 ·

On one side of the Coelian, one of the legendary seven hills over which Rome was founded, is Villa Celimontana; this public parkland once belonged to the Mattei family, and still has a number of roman remains, such as columns, capitels and altars, scattered in its gardens.
Here stands a small Egyptian obelisk that time and carelessness have led to be quite insecure and needy of a temporary scaffolding; on its shaft is the name of Ramses II (evidently, a pharaoh whose name often appeared on these pillars).

the obelisk in
Villa Celimontana

This monument is not very important, compared with the other ones previously described, but its story is linked to a rather gruesome accident happened in 1820, during the public cerimony held on the day the obelisk was moved here.

One of the workers in charge was probably removing some gravel from the stand where the pillar, suspended just above, would have soon been rested, when the ropes holding the obelisk suddenly broke; this enormous weight came down, amputating the poor guy's hands ...which obviously should still be here, crushed under the obelisk's base !

"Mind your hands"
...too late !

part II
part III

Most of the spires found in Rome are ancient: they come from Egypt, taken back by roman emperors during the first centuries AD, by the time northern Africa was part of the Roman Empire. In their original country, these monuments were made for religious and celebrative purposes, often stated in hieroglyphs along the obelisk's shaft, but roman emperors usually wanted them as embellishments for the city's circuses, temples and tombs, completely disregarding their text. These spires were so popular that some imitations of the original Egyptian ones were also made in Rome. Most obelisks now stand where pope Sixtus V (1585-1590) had them moved during his important city alteration program, which substantially contributed in changing Rome's look from mediaeval to baroque.	detail from the obelisk in Pantheon Square

the obelisk by the Lateran Palace (left) and the north door of St.John's basilica	· 1 · The oldest and tallest obelisk in Rome is the one in piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, between the north door of St.John's basilica and the Lateran Palace. Made of red granite, it measures slightly over 32 metres (about 105 feet), reaching over 40 metres (about 135 feet) with the base, and weighs 230 tons. It originally stood in front of the Temple of Amon, in Thebes (or Karnak, in Egyptian), where pharaoh Thutmose III had it carved in the 15th century BC.

the obelisk before St.Peter's basilica	· 3 · Also St.Peter Square has one, without hieroglyphs, which undoubtly used to be Rome's most famous obelisk during the early centuries. It measures 25.5 metres (83 feet) , although the stand and the bronze crest at the top add about 12 metres to its overall height, making it look much taller. It comes from Heliopolis. Emperor Caligola had it brought here in AD 37, as a decoration for the arena for horse races he was building by the Vatican Hill; having been finished a few years later by his successor, it was known as the Circus of Nero. Since St.Peter's basilica was founded by the remains of this circus, for a very long time the obelisk stood by the left side of the church.

Known as the aguglia (spire) over the Middle Ages, this was one of Rome's legendary features because of a bronze globe at the top, which the people believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar. The legend probably sprung from an ancient dedication inscribed by the base of the obelisk, now barely readable, in which the name of the famous personage can be read. By the time St.Peter's basilica was rebuilt, during the works pope Sixtus V had the obelisk moved to the center of the square (1586); this proved a difficult job for the renowned architect Giovanni Fontana, whose 900 workers took almost six months to complete this task.

The old bronze globe was spared from destruction: it is now on display in the Capitoline Museums. A curious detail is that its surface is covered with bullets: they were shot by the Lanquenets, the mercenary soldiers of Charles V, who raided the city during the sack of Rome in 1527, and who likely used the globe, in those days still above the obelisk, as a fun target.

	Also this one comes from Heliopolis, and dates back to about year 600 BC; its hieroglyphs mention pharaoh Psamtik II, who had this monument made in honour of god Ra (i.e. the sun), whence the alternative name of the spire, also called "solar obelisk". Emperor Octavianus Augustus had it taken to Rome, where it stood in the northern part of the Campus Martis or Field of Mars, a vast ground for military training and sports, roughly corresponding to the area between the Pantheon, the Capitolium and the river Tiber (see Rione IV). Here the obelisk was used as a big sundial; it stood over an enormous quadrant of travertine marble, 160 metres long, where dates and hours of the day were marked with bronze notches. It was also strategically positioned so to throw its shadow in the very center of the Altar of Peace on the emperor's birthday, september 23. It collapsed likely around the 11th century, and was gradually buried under rubble and other remains.	above: the hole in the bronze globe and the notches on the pavement; left: full view of the spire and detail of the pharaoh's cartouche