Curiosa Thursday: The Elephant and the Obelisk
- Rick Bessey

- Jul 3
- 1 min read
Updated: Nov 14

Behind the Pantheon and in front of the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva is a surprising statue of an obelisk on an elephant. Bernini designed this sculpture in the 1660s for Pope Alexander VII who wished to display a recently discovered obelisk.
You may be familiar with the Salvador Dali work depicting two elephants, also with obelisks.
Are you interested in seeing this?
Yes!
If there is time.
It doesn't really call to me.
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P.S. Ever get confused by the inscriptions you see in Rome?
I created a free, 1-page "5-Minute Decoder" that unlocks 90% of the phrases you'll see on monuments. It's the perfect tool to go from a tourist to an insider.






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