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Emperor Constantine the Great (statue)
The Vision of Constantine greets you not with a casual portrait, but with an equestrian moment forged by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. This statue, unveiled in 1670, is integrated into the Scala Regia—a dramatic stairway Bernini reshaped to connect St. Peter’s Basilica with the Vatican Palace. It’s believed to be predominantly Bernini’s own hand, with a total fee of 7,000 Roman scudi recorded for the project. The figure itself honors Emperor Constantine the Great, a moment in his life when a sky-splitting sign—“In hoc signo vinces”—is said to have guided his troops before the Battle of Milvian Bridge, leading to religious toleration for Christians. Bernini chose this early Christian ruler precisely for the papal patrons of the 17th century, who saw Constantine as a precedent for church triumph and Christian unity. …
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