Bernini's Elephant and Obelisk Elefantino della Minerva il Pulcino (manortiz)
È la celebre scultura della piazza antistante la chiesa, realizzata da Bernini e dalla sua bottega su committenza di Alessandro VII per sostenere l’antico obelisco dell’Iseo Campense (la zona dell’antica Roma dedicata ai culti egizi), portato da Eliopoli in città per volere dell’imperatore Domiziano. L’iscrizione in basso ricorda che a un’elevata sapienza occorre una mente robusta, simboleggiata dall’elefante
Un primo progetto del domenicano Paglia venne rifiutato e prevedeva alla base quattro cani, sormontati dai colli dello stemma pontificio Chigi. L’allusione era proprio alla fedeltà della comunità religiosa al pontefice (domini canes = i cani del Signore).
Il nomignolo Porcin della Minerva fu dato dal popolo al piccolo elefante appesantito dal cubo centrale di sostegno che Bernini cercò di nascondere con una gualdrappa. Nel tempo il “porcin” si è confuso con “purcin”, trasformandosi in Pulcino della Minerva. Bernini, che si era sempre opposto al cubo di sostegno, chiuse le polemiche con il padre domenicano Paglia aggiungendo il dettaglio della coda alzata dell’elefante che rivolge il posteriore in direzione del convento domenicano.
il piccolo obelisco della Minerva in granito rosso, alto 5,47 metri, eretto originariamente dal faraone Aprie (589-570 a.C.), di cui reca i geroglifici insieme ai nomi degli dei Atum e Neit
In the Piazza della Minerva, Rome, you will find Bernini’s famous but curious elephant-obelisk. What is much less well-known however, is the symbolism behind the obelisk, which may answer the question as to why Bernini created such an unusual sculpture.
Bernini’s design for the base of the obelisk, a stone elephant, is very similar to an engraving that appeared in Hypnerotomachia Polophili [Poliphilo’s Dream of the Strife of Love], the extraordinary Renaissance roman-a-clef published in Venice in 1499 (portraying well-known real people disguised as fictional characters.) (A piece on this work will follow shortly).
While for Egyptians, the obelisk symbolised the “divine rays of the Sun”, the great mass of the elephant symbolised the Earth, With its trunk, it draws up water (the rain) which flows through the interior: the Earth is nourished, and with the help of the Sun (the obelisk) which traverses the Earth (the elephant), the grain is fertilised, so that it can be reborn and flourish.
In the text that inspired Bernini, the reader enters the elephant, inside of which a man and a woman are represented. The full force of the symbol is thus revealed: besides the grain which is reborn and fertilised, the elephant-obelisk symbolises the resurrection of the body, a belief transmitted by the Egyptians (notably in the Book of the Dead) to the Hebrews and Christians to become a central element of Christianity. At the Last Judgment (like the biblical Jonah who emerges from the belly of the whale), man will leave the Earth to rise again from the dead.
Pope Alexander Vii, who commissioned the monument from Bernini in 1667, to be erected on the site of a former Temple of Isis, possessed a copy (annotated in his own hand) of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and it was he who had the Latin phrase inscribed on the base recalling the immense wisdom passed down from ancient Egypt : Sapientis Egypti / insculptus obelisco figuras / ab elephanto / belluarum fortissima /gestari quisquis hic vides / documentum intellige / robustae mentis esse / solidam sapientiam sustinere [These symbols of the science of Egypt, which you see engraved on the obelisk borne by the elephant, the most powerful of all animals, take them as the precept that a strong mind is needed to support a solid knowledge].
Remember too, that in Christian doctrine, the resurrection of Christ foreshadows that of all men and women at the Last Judgment. Finally, the Bernini sculpture also bears an eight-pointed star and the figure 8 for Christians, is the symbol of resurrection.
So next time you see the elephant-obelisk in Rome, certainly admire it for it is a beautiful piece of sculpture but think on the symbolism… it gives a new depth of appreciation.
Elephant and Obelisk Piazza della Minerva Rome
recorded on December 21, 2013
Moving Image Archive Serge de Muller
ROMA - Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
La basilica di Santa Maria sopra si trova in Piazza della Minerva, nelle immediate vicinanze del Pantheon e si tratta di uno dei pochissimi esempi di architettura gotica a Roma.
Nel centro di piazza della Minerva si trova la statua dell'elefantino, opera di Ercole Ferrata su progetto del Bernini, sormontato da un piccolo obelisco egiziano, uno dei nove presenti a Roma.
La basilica è molto conosciuta perché al suo interno ospita le spoglie di Caterina da Siena e del pittore mistico Beato Angelico.
Al suo interno conserva pregevoli opere d'arte tra cui gli affreschi di Melozzo da Forlì e Filippino Lippi.
Importante è anche la statua del Cristo portacroce, opera di Michelangelo.
Dietro la Sacrestia c'è la suggestiva Stanza di Santa Caterina, ricostruita nel 1637 con le mura stesse della camera ove morì .
Filmato con Sony RX10M3 in 4K.
Musica:
Courage and Willpower by Keys of Moon |
Music promoted by
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
#roma #rome
Gian Lorenzo Bernini #12 - Obelisco della Minerva; Beata Ludovica Albertoni; Busto del Salvatore.
OPERE NELLE FOTO:
Obelisco della Minerva – Bernini
Beata Ludovica Albertoni - Bernini
Busto del Salvatore - Bernini
Autoritratto – Bernini
Pantheon
MUSICHE:
itunes
FONTI LETTERARIE:
La libertà di Bernini – Rai 5 ( Regia di Luca Criscenti )
FOTOGRAFIE:
La libertà di Bernini – Rai 5 ( Regia di Luca Criscenti )
Wikipedia
Piazza della Minerva
Father Reed visits Piazza della Minerva, a square in Rome near the Pantheon. Located in the square are the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and a sculpture of an elephant by Bernini.
Piazza della Minerva - Obelisco con Elephante
Our group project introduction. You've got a wait a minute to see the actual Obelisk!
Roma, i vandali deturpano l'elefantino del Bernini a Piazza della Minerva
(Agenzia VISTA) - Roma, 14 Novembre 2016 - A Piazza della Minerva, a due passi dal Pantheon, stanotte i vandali hanno danneggiato un'opera del Bernini. Si tratta dell'elefantino che campeggia sulla piazza. A fare la scoperta stamane i vigili urbani del I gruppo, che hanno anche recuperato il pezzo mancante della zanna sinistra. Saranno gli esperti della Soprintendenza a realizzare il restauro dell'opera, nata per sostenere un obelisco egizio.
Roma, Elefantino del Bernini a piazza della Minerva manortiz Y
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, l'Elefantino di piazza della Minerva in 4K by manortiz
Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome
Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome
Basilica, Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. This was not on our list to see in Rome. Santa Maria sopra Minerva is just behind or next to the great Pantheon. Yet glad we came across this Gothic style church, the only such styled church left in Rome today. It, like many Catholic churches, is built on old temples from pagan days. Read more below, but for sure this is a church to check out. The symbols and general condition of the building and interior is amazing. Also, yet another obelisk, one of the 11 in Rome!
“Santa Maria sopra Minerva in English - Saint Mary above Minerva, Latin- Sancta Maria supra Minervam- is one of the major churches of the Roman Catholic Order of Preachers -better known as the Dominicans - at Rome, Italy. The church's name derives from the fact that the first Christian church structure on the site was built directly over - Latin- supra - the ruins or foundations of a temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis, which had been erroneously ascribed to the Greco-Roman goddess Minerva.”
Source -
So they actually misnamed the church after Minerva, when it was really an old pagan site for Isis worshipers. Interesting.
More on the obelisk on an elephant of all things in front of the church, just a stones throw from the side of the amazing Pantheon, which we filmed here -
“The Pulcino della Minerva, the famous elephant sculpture by Bernini and Ercole Ferrata, making the base of one of Rome's eleven Egyptian obelisks.” Source -
Bernini was a master sculpture, the best of his time and came just after Michelangelo.
Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome
Bellezza a piazza della Minerva con il Bernini e le Antichità Grand Tour manortiz
RETESOLE TG LAZIO Elefante del Bernini, restano le polemiche dopo lo sfregio in piazza della Minerva
Il nuovo atto vandalico nel cuore di Roma continua a far discutere. In attesa che venga effettuato il restauro dell'Elefante del Bernini, è polemica per quanto accaduto in piazza della Minerva nella notte tra domenica e lunedì.
Servizio a cura di Alessandro Basile.
Chiostro della Basilica di S. Maria sopra Minerva - Roma
Visita guidata dell'Associazione Culturale IterArte (24/11/2016) al
Chiostro della Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Roma).
Apertura in esclusiva per i soci di iterArte.
L’imponente convento annesso alla Basilica, che ospita la comunità
dei Domenicani dalla metà del XIII secolo, comprende anche lo
splendido chiostro riccamente affrescato.
Realizzazione: Edoardo Pone.
REFERENZE
Dott.ssa Laura Gigli
La devozione del Rosario nel chiostro domenicano di Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Rivista Voce Romana
- n° 35 - Settembre-Ottobre 2015 - pagg. 21÷25
- n° 36 - Novembre-Dicembre 2015 - pagg. 21÷24
- n° 37 - Gennaio-Febbraio 2016 - pagg. 21÷25
- n° 38 - Marzo-Aprile 2016 - pagg. 21÷23
Disegni e immagini: arch. Marco Setti
Collaborazione: d.ssa Fabiana Spinelli
Canale dell'Autore (uno dei 3 link):
Vandals Break Tusk Of Bernini Elephant Statue in Rome
Police in Rome are investigating the apparent vandalism of the famed Elephant and Obelisk statue designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the Piazza della Minerva near the Pantheon in Rome. Rome cultural authorities said Monday that vandals overnight broke off the tip of the elephant's left tusk, which authorities recovered at the foot of the statue. Police were checking video in the area to identify the vandals. The statue of an elephant carrying an obelisk on its back was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII. It was placed in the square in front of the Santa Maria Sopra Minevra Basilica in 1667. Another Bernini statue, the La Barcaccia fountain at the bottom of the Spanish Steps in Rome, was vandalized by Dutch soccer fans in 2015.
This video was produced by YT Wochit News using
Obelisco di Piazza Navona The Agonal Obelisk (manortiz)
La presenza dell'obelisco sulla fontana fu richiesta espressamente dal papa, dopo che questi si recò in visita a S.Sebastiano il 27 aprile del 1647 e lì, presso il Circo di Massenzio, vide per terra un obelisco grandissimo. Le iscrizioni in geroglifico, sulle quali appare il nome di Domiziano, provano che originariamente l'obelisco era situato presso il Tempio di Iside e soltanto successivamente trasferito da Massenzio nel suo Circo. L'obelisco Agonale (nella foto 4), di granito e alto 16,54 metri, fu innalzato il 12 agosto 1649 sopra un alto basamento affinché apparisse ancora più elevato, al di sopra dello scoglio
Obelisco Agonale di granito di piazza Navona
alto 16,54 metri
Piazza Navona Obelisk Obelisco Agonalis 16,54 meters red granite
Provenance: This obelisk is not from the ancient Egypt, but this was created at Aswan (Upper Egypt, 640 km south of Cairo) by the order of Roman Emperor Domitianus in 1st Century. The name of Domitianus is inscribed with hieroglyphs on this obelisk. From the scene in which a goddess presents the Double Crown to the emperor, it seems that the obelisk was intended for the accession of Domitianus in A.D. 81.
This was carried to Rome and erected between the Serapeum Temple (The temple for the Greco-Egyptian god Serapius) and the Iseum Temple (The temple for the Egyptian goddess Isis), and remained there until early 4th Century when Emperor Maxentius [reigned 306-312] moved it to the Circo di Massenzio. Circo di Massenzio is the grand stadium for chariot race, which was built by the Emperor for the memory of his son Romulus. Since Romulus passed away in around 309, and the Emperor passed away in 312, the obelisk is supposed to have transpoted to here between 309-312. It was along Ancient Appian Road [Via Appia Antica], 2.8 km south of Porta San Sebastiano, Rome, and the vast site still remains.
At some unknown date, the obelisk was toppled and broken into a few pieces. The famous Pope Sixtus V [reigned 1585-1590] knew about this, but it was lower priority for restoration.
Finally, in 17th Century, Pope Innocentius X [reigned 1644-1655] decided to re-erect it in Piazza Navona in commemoration of his election. Because he had lived in the building which faces the Piazza Navona. He planned to create a fountain, and put the obelisk on it. An architect Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini [or Gianlorenzo Bernini, 1598-1680] wanted to undertake this project, and aggressively appealed his design to the Pope. Then the appointment was made to him on April 11th, 1647. The fountain is called the Fountain of the Four Rivers [Fontana dei Fiumi]. The four rivers of the then-known continents are represented by personifications - The Danube (representing Europe), The Ganges River (representing Asia), The Nile River (representing Africa), The Rio della Plata (representing Americas). This Four Rivers Fountain is one of Bernini's most celebrated works, and also one of typical masterpiece of the Baroque. The pieces of obelisk were assembled, and the dove [a symbol of the Pope family], instead of a Christian cross, was put at the apex, and then the obelisk topped on the Fountain. The entire work was completed in spring 1651.
The high cost of the project caused the tax increase, and resulted in loud protests against the Pope and his family. However, now this memorial is one of the most interested spots in Rome, and the source of endless admiration. You should apprecaite this Baroque heritage.
Elefantino del Bernini a piazza della Minerva (manortiz)
piazza della minerva
Piazza della Minerva à Rome, l'église de sainte Marie Sopra Minerva, le couvent des dominicains, l'hotel de la Minerva
Roma e JMJ: dia 1, obelisco na entrada da Basílica de Santa Maria Maior
O obelisco em frente a Basílica!
Churches of Rome: Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Canal de You Tube de las Siervas de los Corazones Traspasados de Jesús y María
Obelisco Agonale a Piazza Navona (manortiz)