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 was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

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

Piazza di Spagna The Piazza di Spagna is a square in the centre of Rome, the capital of Italy. It lies at the foot of the Spanish Steps and owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See. The Column of the Immaculate Con ...

. It was placed aptly in front of the offices of the

Palazzo di Propaganda Fide The Palazzo di Propaganda Fide (in English: Palace of the Propagation of the Faith) is a palace located in Rome, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, then Francesco Borromini. Since 1626, it has housed the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peop ...

which houses the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

, as well as in front of the Spanish embassy as recognition by the pontiff of the defense that this nation has always made of this dogma of faith. Since December 1953,

Pontiff In Roman antiquity, a pontiff () was 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 later applied to any h ...

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 celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September. It is one of the most important Marian feasts in the l ...

History

The column. The Marian monument was designed by the architect Luigi Poletti, 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 Sicily in 1059. The Chinea reached its greatest magnitude from about 1550 to 1776 ...

, a yearly tribute offered to the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

as ultimate sovereign of Naples. The column was dedicated on 8 December 1857, celebrating the recently adopted dogma of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

of 1854. The dogma had been widely proclaimed ''

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

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

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

. The actual structure is a square marble base with statues of biblical figures at the corners that uphold a column of Cipollino marble 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 is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

and

Eve Eve 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 universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

; except the perfected sinless Virgin Mary). The

Corinthian column The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

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

Benedictine Order The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

of Santa Maria della Concezione in Campo Marzio located in the area, the site of the former

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for '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 ...

. Due to its incomplete construction, it had probably never been used and perhaps was in the remains of a marble workshop."The Column of the Immaculate", Turismo Roma, Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion Department
/ref> The marble base bears four bas-reliefs recalling the Annunciation, the dream of St. Joseph, the coronation of the Virgin, and the promulgation of the dogma. 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 Adamo Tadolini * ''Isaiah'' the Prophet — by Salvatore Revelli * ''Ezekiel'' the Seer — by Carlo Chelli * 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 The University of Saint Mary of the Lake (USML) is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. It is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois. USML was ...

Mundelein, Illinois Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and a northern suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 31,560, making this the fourth largest town in Lake County. The village straddles ...

, United States.

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. Every December 8, the day of the

, a ceremony is held here, often with the Pope in attendance. Traditionally, the Pope places a bouquet of white roses at the base of the column and prays for her intercession to help all people in their suffering and struggles.

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

began the tradition of sending a basket of flowers every year to be placed at the base of the column. In 1958,

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

began actually going to the Spanish Steps to deliver the flowers himself. 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 or S.P.Q.R., an initialism for (; ), is an emblematic phrase referring to the government of the Roman Republic. It appears on documents made public by an inscription in stone or metal, in dedications of monuments and public works, and on ...

label is placed on the bottom of the statue. This signals the official beginning of the Christmas season in Rome and all of Italy."The Immaculate Conception", ''Italian Tribune'', December 5, 2019
/ref>

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: ''Pasquinus, 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 dist ...

, 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.

References

Sources

*Translated from entry in Italian Wikipedia
Romeartlover website

External links

"Francis again makes surprise appearance at Immaculate Conception statue"
-with photo of fireman atop laddertruck

* {{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