Monument to Dante, Marble statue in Piazza Santa Croce, Florence, Italy
The Monument to Dante is a white Carrara marble sculpture of the poet standing in a draped robe and close-fitting cap, one arm bent across his chest, with an eagle beside his right leg. The stepped pedestal bears the inscription "A DANTE ALIGHIERI" above "L'ITALIA" and "MDCCCLXV"; two lions recline at its front corners.
The monument was unveiled on May 14, 1865, for the 600th anniversary of Dante's birth, with King Victor Emmanuel II present. A national committee formed in 1857 raised funds by public subscription, with donors including Giuseppe Verdi and Alessandro Manzoni. After the November 1966 flood damaged it, the statue was moved in 1968 and remounted in 1971 beside the basilica façade.
The pedestal displays four Marzocco lions holding shields carved with titles of Dante's works. Surrounding them are the coats of arms from forty Italian cities, symbolizing the poet's connection to the entire nation.
The statue is located in Piazza Santa Croce and is easily accessible near the basilica of the same name. The square provides an open space without barriers where you can view the monument from different angles.
When Prince Leopold of Syracuse asked Enrico Pazzi why the eagle lacked the Habsburg double head, Pazzi replied it was a Roman eagle risen from the ashes of the fallen empire. The prince and his retinue left abruptly, and nearly half a decade passed before the statue was erected.
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