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The Fountain of the Lateran Obelisk in Rome: Three Popes, Two Dolphins and a Rite Against Witches
In Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, set against the northern side of the world’s tallest Egyptian obelisk (32 metres of red granite from the 15th century BC), stands a fountain that changed its appearance three times in seven years. Fed by the Acquedotto Felice, work on it began under Clement VIII for the Jubilee of 1600, it was touched by Leo XI during his 27-day pontificate, and completed by Paul V Borghese in 1607. The actual author remains uncertain: perhaps Flaminio Ponzio, perhaps Domenico Fontana himself, who had erected the obelisk in 1588.
Dolphins, Dragons and an Eagle
The structure is simple but rich in symbolism. A fluted marble basin is surmounted by two dolphins with intertwined tails, supporting a shell valve. The water issues from two winged dragons and an eagle — emblems of the Borghese — that frame the papal tiara. Higher up, a crenellated band points to the coat of arms of the Aldobrandini. Along the sides are leonine protomes with fruit festoons: a tribute to Sixtus V, the pope who placed the obelisk in this square.
The Night of Saint John
The fountain once also bore a statue of St John Evangelist, the work of Taddeo Landini, but the head of the statue was removed by a lightning strike in the 19th century. But the most curious rite survives in popular memory: on the night of 24 June Roman citizens would come here to wash their hands, convinced that the water would keep witches at bay.
