Trajan's Column

Trajan’s Column, completed in 113 AD, is one of Rome’s most remarkable monuments, standing in Trajan’s Forum near the Colosseum. The 30-meter-tall column was built to commemorate Emperor Trajan's successful military campaigns against the Dacians. Its intricately carved spiraling reliefs depict over 150 scenes of battles, diplomacy, and Roman engineering feats, offering a detailed visual narrative of Trajan's victories. Originally topped with a statue of Trajan himself, the column underwent a symbolic transformation in 1587 when Pope Sixtus V ordered the replacement of the emperor's statue with a bronze figure of Saint Peter, the first pope and a central figure in Christian tradition. This change reflected the Christianization of Rome and the triumph of the Church over its pagan past. By placing Saint Peter atop a monument dedicated to imperial conquest, the Church asserted its spiritual dominance and continuity with Rome's imperial legacy, reinforcing the city as the heart of Christendom.