Colonna della Pace, Victory column in Rome, Italy
Colonna della Pace is a fluted marble column standing on a travertine and marble base in the square before Santa Maria Maggiore. Its bronze top combines a statue of the Virgin Mary with a child, while the base bears carved eagles and dragons that tie it to the Borghese family.
The shaft was moved here in 1614 from the largely demolished Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, once known as the Temple of Peace. Pope Paul V wanted a Marian column at this crossroads, and Carlo Maderno oversaw the installation.
The base images of eagles and dragons recall the Borghese coat of arms, so the monument reads as a family emblem as much as a religious one. Many visitors pause here only briefly, but the carved details reward those who look closely before crossing the square.
You can walk around the column on all sides and get close to its carved base without barriers. The open square gives easy access for a short stop while moving between nearby churches and major streets.
The bronze Virgin and Child on top was cast using old cannons from Castel Sant’Angelo. That mix of recycled weaponry and religious sculpture is easy to miss from the ground but shapes the monument’s final look.
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