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All Italy Rome Sculpture of Giovanni Paolo II

Sculpture of Giovanni Paolo II

A sculpture serving as an homage to Pope John Paul II.

Rome, Italy

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ser flac
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  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  collinsconnor10 / Atlas Obscura User
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The statue symbolizes spiritual shelter for Roman Catholics.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
The Pope John Paul II monument at Roma Termini.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
The plaque at the base of the sculpture.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Depicting a magnanimous leader whose cloak serves as a shelter, this simple statue speaks volumes about the artist and the subject.

Pope John Paul II, or Giovanni Paolo II in Italian, was an inspiration and a spiritual guide to millions. Sculptor Oliviero Rainaldi, responsible for this statue depicting the Pope in Rome wanted to express that as simply and emotionally as possible.

Showing the Pope in his unmistakable religious garments, the statue shows him with arms outstretched, welcoming, and his cloak hanging down and encompassing an area beneath him. The statue can be seen as sheltering those who stand within it (even though actual access is forbidden and the place is enclosed), as the Pope himself acted as a spiritual shelter to Catholics everywhere; the less religiously inclined use to remark cynically its resemblance to a public urinal.

The present statue is the second version, the first one having been modified after a brief time of exposure since the result was underwhelming, also due to its inadvertent likeness to former Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

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The sculpture is easy to find. It's located at the far end of the bus terminal at Roma Termini. Its size and characteristic oddness make it hard to miss.

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serflac

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AdamTKincaid, Blindcolour, gewurz, JamazingClayton...

  • AdamTKincaid
  • Blindcolour
  • gewurz
  • JamazingClayton
  • Collector of Experiences
  • rbenn250
  • collinsconnor10

Published

September 20, 2011

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Sculpture of Giovanni Paolo II
62 Piazza dei Cinquecento
Rome, 00185
Italy
41.901476, 12.500447
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