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Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.
IF YOU WERE A KING
(an Italian note showing Scala Regia and the statue of Constantine)

The King's Steps

Entrance to the King's Steps

Today the entrance to the Vatican is from the wall at the right of St Peter's. There Michelangelo and Raphael together with the coat of arms of Pius XI look upon the never ending queue of tourists.
But, if you were a king (or a President obviously), you would be admitted to the Vatican through the "Portone di Bronzo" which is on the right side of the colonnade (looking towards St Peter's). It is the official entrance to the Vatican (although occasionally when the Vatican Museums are very crowded, groups with no other interest than the Sistine Chapel are brought back outside through it) .
Beyond the door a magnificent flight of steps: the "Scala Regia". Built by Sangallo the Junior in the early XVIth century it was restored by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Alexander VII.
The focal point of the perspective is the coat of arms of Alexander VII. Unfortunately from St. Peter's square one can see little of it and the Swiss guard cannot be bribed.

An Old Print

A print showing the Scala Regia

To have an idea of what is behind the Swiss guard we may have a look at this old print. On the right there is a painting by Raphael and after that the statue of Constantine by G. L. Bernini. This statue and the Scala Regia were printed on the 50.000 Liras note, as shown in the icon at the top of this page (Lira was the Italian currency prior to the move to Euro).

The Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of the Pope

The only real way to have a look at the coat of arms of Alexander VII is from the Portico of St. Peter's. On the right one immediately sees the statue of Constantine, but once you try to have a closer look, a warden immediately tells you that you should stop. Thankfully one morning the warden wasn't there for a short time and I managed to get this photo which shows Bernini's masterpiece.

A Closer Look

The statue of Constantine

The statue of Constantine by Bernini shows the emperor in the traditional episode of the cross appearing to him before the battle of Ponte Milvio. Behind the statue a drape painted in red and gold (made in stucco) emphasizes the movement of the horse and the pictorial effect of the monument. The statue was criticized for the unnatural posture of the horse. The statue is completed by the cross and the inscription In hoc signo vinces (by adopting this symbol you will win).

The inscription

The decoration is extremely rich: you may notice that the flowers are all different.

The decoration

Also the coat of arms deserves a more detailed picture.

coat of arms

The Twin

The statue of Charlemagne

The statue of Constantine was matched in the Portico of St Peter's by a statue of Charlemagne (who was crowned in St Peter's in 800). This too is a very complex monument with a combination of sculpture and painting and a sophisticated perspective. It was built during the pontificate of Pope Clemens XI, whose coat of arms decorates the ceiling of this section of the Portico. The statue is by Agostino Cornacchini. Charlemagne is parading like an XVIIIth century gentleman.

Other pages dealing with St. Peter's:
Basilica di S. Pietro
The statues in the octagon
A Laborious Delivery
It wasn't done in a day! a clue to the decoration of the Basilica



SEE THESE OTHER EXHIBITIONS (for a full list see my Detailed Index)