The Column of the Immaculate Conception (Italian: ''La Colonna della Immacolata Concezione'') is a nineteenth-century monument in central Rome depicting the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, located in what is called Piazza Mignanelli, towards the south east part of

Piazza di Spagna Piazza di Spagna ("Spanish Square"), at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome, Italy. It owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. There is also the famed Colum ...

. It was placed aptly in front of the offices of the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide which houses the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

. The Marian monument was designed by the architect Luigi Poletti, the actual figure atop was sculpted by Giuseppe Obici and commissioned by Ferdinand II, King of the Two Sicilies. In part, he wanted to put closure to the dispute between Naples and the Papal States that had developed in the last century, when Naples abolished the

Chinea The Chinèa was the name attached to a tribute paid by the Kings of Naples as vassals to the Popes. The tribute was apparently first recognized by the Norman King of Naples in 1059. The Chinea reached its greatest magnitude from about 1550 to 177 ...

, a yearly tribute offered to the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

as ultimate sovereign of Naples. Since December 1953,

Pontiff A pontiff (from Latin ''pontifex'') was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs."Pontifex". "Oxford English Dictionary", March 2007 The term "pontiff" was late ...

s have visited the monument annually and offered a bouquet of flowers at the base of the column with help of Roman firemen commemorating the

Feast of the Immaculate Conception The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, also called Immaculate Conception Day, celebrates the sinless lifespan and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary, celebrate ...

History

The column in front of the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide, with Spanish embassy to Vatican at right. The column was dedicated on 8 December 1857, celebrating the recently adopted dogma of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

of 1854. The dogma had been widely proclaimed ''

Ex cathedra Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...

'' via the Papal bull ''Ineffabilis Deus'' by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. The actual structure is a square marble base with statues of biblical figures at the corners that uphold a column of

Cipollino marble Cipollino marble ("onion-stone") was a variety of marble used by the ancient Greeks and Romans, whose Latin term for it was ''marmor carystium'' (meaning "marble from Karystos"). It was quarried in several locations on the south-west coast of the ...

of 11.8 meters. Atop the column is a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary, the work of Giuseppe Obici. The standard imagery of the immaculate conception is used: a virgin on a crescent, atop the world, stomping a serpent (a symbol of the original sin assigned to all humans since

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

and

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

; except the perfected sinless Virgin Mary). The

Corinthian column The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

itself was sculpted in ancient Rome, and was discovered in 17 September 1777 during the construction of the monastery for the

Benedictine Order , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

Santa Maria della Concezione in Campo Marzio Santa Maria della Concezione () is a church in Rome, located on Piazza Campo Marzio in the Campo Marzio ''rione''. It serves as the national church in Rome for Syriac Catholics. History The church and its adjoining monastery traditionally ori ...

located in this area, the site of the former

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for the "Field of Mars", Italian ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...

. The original column once bore the ancient Roman goddess

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

carrying a shield, now lost in history. At the base are four statues of Hebrew figures that gave portent of the virgin birth, each accompanied by a quote of a biblical verse in Latin, including: * King ''David'' — by

Adam Tadolini Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as ...

* ''Isaiah'' the Prophet — by

Salvatore Revelli Salvatore may refer to: * Salvatore (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name * "Salvatore" (song), by Lana Del Rey, 2015 * Salvatore (band), a Norwegian instrumental rock band * '' Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams' ...

* ''Ezekiel'' the Seer — by

Carlo Chelli Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

* Patriarch ''Moses'' — by

Ignazio Jacometti Ignazio Jacometti (16 January 1819 in Rome – 22 April 1883 in Rome) was an Italian sculptor. He was a professor of sculpture at the Accademia di San Luca. Biography He was born the third of five children to Antonio and Anna Maria Lang. His fami ...

In 1922, a replica of the column was raised on the campus of University of Saint Mary of the Lake in

Mundelein, Illinois Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and a northern suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 31,560. It is approximately thirty-five miles northwest of Chicago. History The community now known as M ...

, United States.

The whistle of Patriarch Moses

The statue of Moses was the source of a satirical joke involving the nearby statue of

Pasquino Pasquino or Pasquin (Latin: ''Pasquillus'') is the name used by Romans since the early modern period to describe a battered Hellenistic-style statue perhaps dating to the third century BC, which was unearthed in the Parione district of Rome ...

, wherein the Roman statue was said to have tried to talk to the biblical statue, only to be replied with a whistle. When the Pasquino statue asked why he could not talk some mention was made to the sibilant posture of the statue's lips. In this famed plaza, now thronged with young tourists out on stroll, the whistling and horns may have other sexual connotations, resulting in the joke, that sometimes also includes a sexual reference to the ''horns'' on Moses' head as well as his forked

beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal at ...

. Without correlation, the biblical ''horns of light'' in traditional Catholic iconography is derived from the

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

translation of the Bible.

Association with Roman firemen

The column was erected by the city fireman. An eyewitness, Juliana Forbes writes, 'It was on its side and was raised perpendicular. It was raised by some firemen who turned some capstans and so raised it. There were sixteen men to each capstan and a great many capstans which, at the sound of a bugle, were turned round and round by the firemen.' This was on December 18. Juliana Forbes, manuscript Diary Every December 8, the day of the

, a ceremony is held here, often with the Pope in attendance, where the head of the Italian fire department presents a bouquet with the motto ''"Flammas domamus, donamus Corda''" (English: "We stop fires, giving our hearts") while a fire truck is used to place a bouquet around the right arm of the Virgin Mary statue and another bouquet decorated with

SPQR SPQR, an abbreviation for (; en, "The Roman Senate and People"; or more freely "The Senate and People of Rome"), is an emblematic abbreviated phrase referring to the government of the ancient Roman Republic. It appears on Roman currency, at ...

label is placed on the bottom of the statue.

References

Sources

*Translated from entry in Italian Wikipedia
Romeartlover website

External links

* {{Monuments of Rome Monumental columns in Rome Marian and Holy Trinity columns Rome R. IV Campo Marzio Buildings and structures completed in 1857 1857 establishments in the Papal States