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Walking Tours of Rome

Six Mountains and a Star

3/2/2020

 
Coat of arms of Pope Alexander VII, St Peter's Square, Rome
Coat of arms of Pope Alexander VII, St Peter's Square

Some popes left their mark on the Eternal City more than others and one such figure was Alexander VII (r. 1655-67). 

Alexander VII was born Fabio Chigi, a member of a princely Roman family of Sienese extraction. The heraldic arms of the Chigi family, which takes the form of six mountains surmounted by an eight-pointed star, can be seen all over Rome. 


The Chigi coat of arms is sometimes quartered with that of the Della Rovere family, a privilege conferred on Agostino Chigi (1465-1520), an immensely wealthy banker and patron of the arts, by Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere, r. 1503-13). Rovere is the Italian word for oak and, unsurprisingly, the family's coat of arms incorporates an oak tree. 

The Chigi family's motto is Micat in Vertice (It shines at the summit).  

Coat of arms of Pope Alexander VII, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome
Organ loft, Santa Maria del Popolo
Elephant and Obelisk, Piazza della Minerva, Rome
Elephant and Obelisk, Piazza della Minerva
Heraldic arms of Pope Alexander VII atop obelisk, Piazza della Minerva, Rome
Heraldic arms of Pope Alexander VII atop the obelisk in Piazza della Minerva
Heraldic arms of Pope Alexander VII, column of Pantheon, Rome
Pantheon
Heraldic arms of Pope Alexander VII, Porta del Popolo, Rome
Porta del Popolo
Coat of arms of Pope Alexander VII, Sant' Andrea della Valle, Rome
Sant' Andrea della Valle
Heraldic arms of Pope Alexander VII, Palazzo della Sapienza, Rome
Palazzo della Sapienza

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    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
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  • Home
  • Personalised Tours
  • Vatican Tours
  • Contact
  • Rome
  • Images
  • St Peter's Basilica
    • Altars >
      • Altar of St Joseph
      • Altar of St Gregory the Great
      • Altar of the Madonna of Succour
      • Altar of St Sebastian
      • Altar of the Lie
      • Altar of the Presentation of the Virgin
      • Altar of St Jerome
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    • Fountain of the Goddess Roma
    • Rioni Fountains
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    • 'Vatican' Obelisk
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  • Mosaics
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    • S. Cecilia in Trastevere
    • S. Clemente
    • S. Francesca Romana
    • S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura
    • S. Marco
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    • S. Maria in Trastevere
    • S. Maria Maggiore
    • S. Prassede
    • S. Pudenziana
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    • S. Zenone
    • Ss. Cosma e Damiano
    • Ss. Nereo e Achilleo
  • Gallery
    • Ancient Rome
    • Borromini & the Baroque
    • Churches
    • Domes
    • Fountains
    • Old Photographs
    • Palaces
    • Papal Coats of Arms
    • Street Shrines
  • Vatican Museums
    • Borgia Apartment
    • Cappella Niccolina
    • Gallery of the Candelabras
    • Gallery of the Maps
    • Gallery of the Tapestries
    • 'Raphael' Tapestries
    • Stanza della Segnatura
    • Stanza di Eliodoro
    • Stanza dell' Incendio
  • Palazzi
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    • Palazzo della Cancelleria
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    • Villa Farnesina
    • Villa Medici
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    • Musei Capitolini
  • Piazzas
    • Campo de' Fiori
    • Piazza del Campidglio
    • Piazza del Popolo
    • Piazza del Quirinale
    • Piazza Navona
    • Piazza San Pietro
  • Miscellaneous
    • A Calendar of Saints
    • Cloisters
    • Domes
    • EUR
    • House of the Owls
    • Knights of Malta
    • 'Protestant' Cemetery
    • Quartiere Coppedè
    • Spanish Steps
    • 'Talking' Statues
    • Villa Borghese
    • Vittoriano