Piazza della Minerva is a small square just behind the Pantheon in Rome, in front of the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. In the middle stands one of the city's best-loved oddities: a little marble elephant designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, carrying an ancient Egyptian obelisk on its back. It was in the Dominican convent beside the church that Galileo Galilei was made to recant in 1633.
Piazza della Minerva at a glance
- Where: in the Pigna district of central Rome, a minute's walk south-east of the Pantheon.
- Created: the elephant and obelisk were unveiled in 1667; the church on the square goes back to the Middle Ages.
- By: the elephant was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and carved by his pupil Ercole Ferrata.
- What it is today: a quiet public square with a Gothic church, a historic hotel and the Senate library in the former convent.
- Time needed: 10 minutes for the square, 30 to 45 minutes with the church.
Temples, friars and an obelisk in the garden
The square takes its name from a temple of Minerva that stood in this area in ancient Rome, and the ground around it was once full of temples, including a large sanctuary of Isis and Serapis. A church called Santa Maria in Minervio is recorded here as early as the 8th century, and in the 13th century the Dominican friars took over the site, building the present church and a large convent. From the 17th century the convent housed offices of the Roman Inquisition, and in 1633 Galileo heard his sentence and abjured his ideas on the earth's motion there. After 1870 the Italian state took over the building, and today it holds the library of the Italian Senate.
In 1665 the friars, digging foundations in their garden, found a small red granite obelisk from Egypt, dating to the 6th century BC and once part of the nearby temple of Isis. Pope Alexander VII wanted it raised in front of the church, and among several proposals he chose Bernini's: an elephant, symbol of strength, carrying the obelisk on a draped saddle. Bernini's pupil Ercole Ferrata carved it, and the monument was unveiled on 11 July 1667, a few weeks after the pope's death. The Latin inscription on the base says that it takes a strong mind to carry solid wisdom.
What to look for
- The elephant itself: short legs, a long, richly draped saddle cloth and a head turned slightly to one side with its trunk swinging.
- The obelisk's hieroglyphs, carved in Egypt more than 2,500 years ago, with a cross at the very top.
- The Latin inscriptions on the pedestal, one on the meaning of the elephant and one dedicating the obelisk to the Virgin Mary.
- The flood plaques on the right of the church façade, marking how high the Tiber rose between the 15th and 16th centuries; this is one of the lowest points in central Rome.
- Inside Santa Maria sopra Minerva: the blue, star-studded Gothic vaults, Michelangelo's statue of the Risen Christ and the tomb of the painter Fra Angelico.
Legend: why the elephant turns its back
Romans have a story about the elephant's pose. It is said that a Dominican friar criticised Bernini's design and argued that the elephant could not carry the obelisk without a support underneath, which is why the block under its belly is there. Bernini, the legend goes, took his revenge by turning the elephant's rear towards the friars' convent, its tail lifted slightly to one side. Locals also nicknamed the stocky animal the porcino, the little pig, a name that over time became Pulcino della Minerva, the Minerva chick.
Tips for your visit
- Come early in the morning, before the Pantheon crowds spill over, to photograph the elephant against the plain façade of the church.
- Walk around the monument: the elephant's backside faces the former convent on the east side, and that view makes the legend easy to picture.
- Dress for a church if you go inside: covered shoulders and knees, and silence during services.
- Combine the square with the Pantheon, a minute away, and a coffee in one of the old cafés between here and Piazza Navona.
Nearby
- Pantheon: the best-preserved temple of ancient Rome, with its open oculus, a one-minute walk away.
- Sant'Ignazio di Loyola: a Jesuit church with a painted fake dome on the ceiling by Andrea Pozzo, a few minutes' walk.
- Largo di Torre Argentina: a sunken square with the ruins of four Republican-era temples, a few minutes' walk south.
- Piazza Navona: the long Baroque square on the site of Domitian's stadium, with Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers.
See Rome with World City Trail
Our Rome scavenger hunt turns the historic centre into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with about 70 minutes of walking. It includes Castel Sant'Angelo, Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, just around the corner from the elephant, and at each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a story about the city.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour of Rome and an outdoor escape game.
Play the Rome scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Rome →
Play the outdoor escape game in Rome →
Facts checked in October 2026.