Column of the Immaculate Conception

The Column of the Immaculate Conception, located in Piazza Mignanelli in Rome, is an imposing and significant monument that celebrates the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception. This monument, inaugurated on December 8, 1857, stands next to the famous Spanish Steps and represents one of the most fascinating architectural and historical elements of the eternal city. The history of the column begins with the discovery of an ancient cipollino marble column in 1777, during the excavations of the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria in Campo Marzio. The column, 11.81 meters high, was considered incomplete and probably never used in antiquity. In the 19th century, the idea of using this column to celebrate the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, officially proclaimed by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854 with the bull “Ineffabilis Deus,” took shape thanks to the architect Luigi Poletti. The project of the column was financed by King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies as a sign of gratitude and celebration for the resolution of the long “Chinea crisis.” This crisis was related to the annual payment of a tribute from the Kingdom of Naples to the Pope, known as “chinea,” a symbolic white horse sent every year as a sign of submission to the Pope. After years of tensions, the tribute was formally abolished in 1855, and the construction of the column was seen as a symbolic act of reconciliation. The inauguration ceremony of the monument, which took place on December 8, 1857, was a grand event attended by Pope Pius IX, the papal court, and numerous officials from the Spanish embassy, dressed in full uniform for the occasion. To accommodate all the participants, a false facade was erected in front of the Spanish embassy, visible in historical photographs of the event. Since 1923, every year, the firefighters of Rome offer a wreath of flowers to the statue of the Madonna on the column during the celebration of the Immaculate Conception. This tradition was later integrated with the regular presence of the Pope starting in 1958. The column is topped by a bronze statue depicting the Virgin Mary, a work by the sculptor Giuseppe Obici. The Virgin is depicted with a star above her head, symbolizing her immaculate purity, and surrounded by four marble statues at the base of the column, representing the prophets Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and David, each of whom prophesied the Immaculate Conception in various ways. These statues are the work of sculptors Filippo Gnaccarini, Adamo Tadolini, Carlo Chelli, and Ignazio Jacometti, and are placed on a marble base decorated with reliefs and inscriptions. Luigi Poletti’s project for the base of the column is equally elaborate and rich in symbolism. The base is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting scenes of the Annunciation and the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, visually and thematically connecting the column to the history and theology of Mary.