Vatican Obelisk

E86051

The Vatican Obelisk is an ancient Egyptian granite obelisk now standing at the center of St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, serving as a prominent historical and religious landmark.

All labels observed (5)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Egyptian monument
granite monolith
obelisk
alsoKnownAs Obelisk of Caligula
linked to: Vatican Obelisk

St. Peter’s Square Obelisk
linked to: Vatican Obelisk
associatedWith Circus of Nero
Domenico Fontana
Pope Sixtus V
linked to: Sixtus V

St. Peter’s Basilica
axisOf longitudinal axis of St. Peter’s Square
broughtToRomeBy Emperor Caligula
linked to: Caligula
builtIn New Kingdom of Egypt
city Vatican City
constructionPeriod likely 13th century BCE
continent Europe
coordinateLocation 41.9022°N 12.4573°E
country Vatican City
culture Ancient Egypt
linked to: Pharaonic Egypt
currentFunction Catholic religious symbol
central monument of St. Peter’s Square
historical landmark
dedicatedTo Emperor Augustus
linked to: Augustus
hasBaseShape square pedestal
hasFeature bronze cross at the top
bronze lions at the base corners
inscriptions in Latin on the base
no original hieroglyphic inscriptions
hasUse gnomon for a meridian line in the square
height about 25.5 metres
heightWithBase about 40 metres
heritageStatus major monument of Vatican City
locatedIn Rome
St. Peter’s Square
linked to: St. Peter's Square

Vatican City
location St. Peter’s Square
linked to: St. Peter's Square
material granite
red granite
monumentType monolithic obelisk
origin Heliopolis, Egypt
linked to: Heliopolis
originalLocation spina of the Circus of Nero
partOf architectural ensemble of St. Peter’s Square
region Lazio
religiousSignificance symbol of triumph of Christianity over paganism
relocatedBy Pope Sixtus V
linked to: Sixtus V
relocationDate 1586
relocationEngineer Domenico Fontana
topDecoration cross containing a relic of the True Cross
touristAttraction yes
transportedToRomeIn 1st century CE
weight about 326 tonnes

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

St. Peter's Square hasPart Vatican Obelisk
Domenico Fontana notableWork “Della trasportatione dell’obelisco Vaticano”
linked to: Vatican Obelisk
Domenico Fontana authorOf “Della trasportatione dell’obelisco Vaticano”
linked to: Vatican Obelisk
Maderno Fountain hasNearbyStructure Vatican Obelisk
Vatican Obelisk alsoKnownAs Obelisk of Caligula
linked to: Vatican Obelisk
Vatican Obelisk alsoKnownAs St. Peter’s Square Obelisk
linked to: Vatican Obelisk
Bernini’s colonnades hasViewOf Vatican Obelisk in St. Peter’s Square
linked to: Vatican Obelisk