Column of the Immaculate Conception - exploring Rome

Rome is a city full of history, historical events and perhaps one of the most important cities of today. I was there last year, I liked it, it's my favorite location I've been to. I can't really say that Rome is a location, because it's much more than that, it's a place, an adventure where I saw and learned a lot about culture, it's the only city that has delighted me, that I've fallen in love with and that I want to go to again.

Tucked away right next to the famous Spanish Steps, where tourists drink espresso, painters offer portraits, and fashion dreamers walk towards Via Condotti, there is a column that may not attract the clamor of the lens at first glance, but if you stand in front of it and look up, you realize that you are in front of something old and dignified.

It is the Colonna dell'Immacolata, or as we like to call it, the Column of the Immaculate Conception.

The year is 1854. Pope Pius IX makes an important decision, announces the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, which means that, according to the Catholic faith, she was conceived without the original sin. The Roman people, very pious and devoted to Mary, accept this news with enthusiasm.

Four years later, in 1857, it was decided to erect a monument, a pillar, in honor of this dogma. But not just any pillar.

In Rome, sometimes a stone sends a clearer message than words. So they unearthed an old ancient marble column, which had been lying forgotten underground for centuries, near the Roman Porta Capena. They carefully straightened it, cleaned it, and placed it in the square in front of the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide, in the very heart of the city.

The pillar stands tall and calm, made of marble, and on top of it is a bronze figure of the Virgin Mary. She holds flowers in one hand, a crown in the other. Her feet stand on the crescent moon, a symbol of purity, and the snake under her feet represents defeated evil.

On the pedestal stand four bronze figures of the prophets: Isaiah, Ezekiel, Moses and David. All of them carry quotes that are associated with Mary in church tradition. Their gaze is hard, but not threatening. As if testifying to ancient prophecies that are believed to have been fulfilled by her birth.

But what really brings the pillar to life... It's the people. Every year, on December 8, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the street is closed to traffic, and the square is filled with believers, passers-by, local women with flowers, and perhaps best of all, with firefighters.

The Roman firemen are the ones who climb the ladder to the top of the column to place a bouquet of flowers in Maria's hands. It's not protocol, it's gratitude. A silent act of respect. It has long since become part of the city's soul.

The Pope, who also comes to pray and lay a wreath, is often joined by children from Roman schools singing songs and reciting prayers. Thus, the pillar comes to life again every year through the movement and breath of ordinary people.

Ah, the Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti), which are a step away from there, often follow the course of the day: in the morning quiet and covered by the rays of the sun, in the afternoon colourful with the world, and in the evening a meeting place. In December, while the column receives its flowers, the stairs look on in silence, they know, like Rome, that here the past and the present talk eternally.

The Immaculate Conception Pillar is not just a monument, it is a witness to faith, art, modesty and a simple but touching ritual. It carries the spirit of a Rome that is layered, holy, and tender, even in its marble peace.

If you ever find yourself there, stop by. Look up. You may not hear a voice, but you will feel the silence talking. And you will know that the pillar preserves not only the faith, but also the stories of all those who brought flowers to it throughout the centuries.