Is the obelisk in the Vatican from Egypt?

The Egyptian obelisk which is now located at St. Peter's Square is often called Vatican Obelisk. It is not known which Pharaoh has constructed it, but it is assumed that it was erected at Heliopolis around 2500 BC. Around 30 BC the obelisk was moved to Alexandria by Emperor Augustus and erected at the Julian Forum.



Yes, the massive obelisk standing in the center of St. Peter's Square is an authentic ancient Egyptian obelisk, carved from a single block of red granite. Unlike most other Egyptian obelisks in Rome, it is unique because it contains no hieroglyphs. Historians believe it was originally erected in the city of Heliopolis by an unknown pharaoh (possibly Amenemhat II) nearly 4,000 years ago. It was later moved to Alexandria by Emperor Augustus and eventually brought to Rome in 40 AD by Emperor Caligula to stand in his private circus (the Circus of Nero), which was located on the site of the present-day Vatican. It is the only ancient obelisk in Rome that has never fallen. In 1586, Pope Sixtus V moved the 330-ton monument 260 meters to its current location, a feat of engineering that required 800 men and 140 horses. For visitors in 2026, the obelisk serves as a powerful symbol of the "Christianization" of Roman pagan symbols, standing as a silent witness to centuries of history, from the martyrdom of St. Peter to modern papal inaugurations.

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Because of the solid pedestal on which the obelisk was placed, it remained standing for 1,500 until it was moved to where it stands today in Saint Peter's Square. It took thirteen months, between 1585 and 1586 to move and re-erect the obelisk.

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Pope Gregory was driven by a passion for learning. He ordered that all Egyptian and “Egyptianized” artifacts in the Pontifical states (and Roman antique markets, private villa collections etc.) be gathered together in a new museum.

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During the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt, the French attempted to steal the two obelisks and take them back to Paris. The campaign ended before they were successful, but the French did not give up then. A mere 30 years later, the obelisks were “gifted” to the French by the Ottoman monarch Muhammed Ali Pasha.

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At least eight obelisks created in antiquity by the Egyptians were taken from Egypt after the Roman conquest and brought to Rome. Tallest obelisk in Rome, and the largest standing ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world, originally weighing around 455 tons.

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Below is a list of the world's most famous obelisks.
  • Washington Monument, Washington DC, United States.
  • 2.Obelisk at Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City.
  • Luxor Obelisk, Paris, France.
  • Obelisco de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • Cleopatra's Needle, New York, United States.
  • Luxor Obelisk, Luxor, Egypt.


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The inscriptions on the dark grey granite slab became the seminal breakthrough in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics after it was taken from Egypt by forces of the British empire in 1801.

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The Vatican Obelisk has a height of 83.6 feet (134.5 feet with base) and weighs 331 tons. It stands on a base 27 feet wide. This is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since Roman times.

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Some of the walls in Vatican City were built in the ninth century by Pope Leo IV in an attempt to protect it from attacks by pirates and other marauders, historians said. But other stretches of wall were built during the 15th and 16th centuries, Dr.

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