Roma - Fontane

Piazza San Pietro
Fontane della Piazza

Pope Alessandro VII Chigi commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to build the famous colonnade in the square, replacing the already existing fountain of Maderno, built in an assymetric position in respect to the facade of the Basilica, and to balance the obelisk he had another built and unveiled in June 1677. The earlier one has the coats-of-arms of Pope Paolo V Borghese on its sides whilst the other has that of six stars of Pope Clemente X, under whose pontificate the work was finished. At the time the two fountains consumed about six million litres of water a day but they are now fitted with a system which allows the recycling of the waters.