The Column of Peace

Map

Column of Peace

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The 14-metre-high marble column, which stands in front of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, comes from the Basilica of Maxentius. It was set up here in 1613 at the behest of Pope Paul V (r. 1605-21) and is crowned with a bronze statue of the Virgin and Child, the work of Guillaume Berthélot and Orazio Censore. 

At the time the column was set up, the Basilica of Maxentius was known as the Temple of Peace. The inscription explains that the column was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, for 'the Prince who gives true peace came from her womb' (EX CVIVS VISCERIBVS PRINCEPS VERAE PACIS GENITVS EST DONUVM DEDIT). The column duly came to be  known as the Colonna della Pace (Column of Peace). 

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Virgin and Child by Guillaume Berthélot & Orazio Censore