Arch of Sixtus V - Roma, Italy
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N 41° 53.889 E 012° 30.542
33T E 293367 N 4641468
The arch of Sixtus V (Italian: Arco di Sisto V) is a memorial monument located in the Esquilino district of Rome, built in 1585 as a celebration of the completion of the Felice aqueduct by order of Sixtus V, during the first year of his pontificate.
Waymark Code: WM11132
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 07/27/2019
Views: 1
The monument is also known as the Felice Arch, from the baptismal name of the commissioning pope, Felice Peretti or popularly called the bow of the pears, from the presence of these fruits in the papal sign of Sixtus V and reproduced on the travertine decorations on the sides of the two smaller arches.
The arch is positioned at the intersection of the two roads that once led directly to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and to the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. The arch is built a short distance from Porta San Lorenzo and is organically inserted into the Felice aqueduct which in its terminal section overlaps with the Aurelian walls. The aqueduct was ordered by Pope Gregory XIII for the needs of the multitudes of pilgrims who would have invaded the city for the jubilee of 1575. The waterworks was finished under the papacy of Pope Felice Peretti, from which it takes its name, which for the occasion wished to celebrate the completion of the aqueduct with a large arch, designed by the architect Giovanni Fontana and inaugurated in 1585.
The arch is structured as a real triumphal arch with three arches, the largest of which is the central one. The monument is made of peperino, the stone commonly used for many works of the era in Rome, enriched with travertine decorations. On the attic facing Via di Porta San Lorenzo there is a commemorative plaque bearing the inscription:
"SIXTVS · V · PONT · MAX ·
VIAS VTRASQ · ET AD S · MARIAM
MAIOREM ET AD S · MARIAM
ANGELORUM AT POPVLI
COMMODITATEM ET DEVOTIONEM
LONGAS LATASQ
SVA IMPENSA STRAVIT"
Translation from Latin
"In order to favor the comfort and devotion of the people, Sixtus V Pontifex Maximus opened at his own expense in length and in width, both roads both towards Santa Maria Maggiore and towards Santa Maria degli Angeli "
On the façade of the arch facing Piazzale Sisto V, a plaque affixed to the attic shows the engraving:
"SIXTVS V PONT MAX DVCTVM AQVAE FELICIS
RIVO SVBTERRANEO
MILL · PASS · XIII ·
ARCHED VII
SVBSTRVCTION SVO SVMPTV EXTRVXIT"
Translation from Latin
"Sixtus V Pontiff Maximus carried out at his own expense the underground pipeline of the Acqua Felice for thirteen miles on arched substructions for seven miles"
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