“…on April 24, 1585, Montalto became pope. Fontana was immediately repaid out of the papal treasury and was made papal architect. An immediate task assigned to him was to continue the work of Giacomo della Porta (1529-1604) in completing the construction of the dome of St. Peter’s, which Michelangelo had left unfinished upon his death.
“It is related that once while Cardinal Montalto and Fontana were crossing the Vatican area, the cardinal remarked that if he ever became pope the obelisk would not long remain in that place…It is therefore not surprising that one of the first official acts of Sixtus V on assuming the papal throne was the appointment, on August 24, 1585, of a special commission to study the problem and to make a recommendation for the transportation of the obelisk…The commission met in the palace of its head, Pier Donato (Cardinal Cesis) and was composed of prominent men of Rome representing both the ecclesiastic and state functions of the papacy. In addition, there was representation from the administrative and legislative bodies as well as the departments of finance and public works. On this commission were such dignitaries as Cardinal Guastavillano, the papal chamberlain; Francesco, Cardinal Sforza; Ferdinando Cardinal de Medici (later Grand Duke of Tuscany), and such functionaries as the Treasurer-General, Commissary-General and Commissioner of Roads. Secular Rome was represented by several Senators and Deputies—in all a commission endowed with a sufficiency of funds and authority and one committed to act. The dream of many popes was now to be realized.
“The commission met immediately after its appointment…The commission…was most impressed by the plan, model and presentation of the engineer Domenico Fontana. He presented his plan and demonstrated how the monolith could be lowered, moved and lifted by a combination of a wooden tower and ropes and pulleys, using as a model a lead obelisk about two feet tall, and a wooden tower with ropes and tackle made to scale. The commission thereupon appointed Fontana engineer-in-chief in charge of the project.
“We are thankful to him not only for performing a most workmanlike job in planning and executing a difficult physical and political task, but like the complete artisan he was, by leaving for posterity a record that, in format, type and engravings, makes one of the handsomest and most complete records of any engineering problem, a prize in the field of bibliography and engraving. His book Della trasportatione dell’obelisco vaticano et delle fabriche di Nostro Signore papa Sisto V, was printed in Rome in 1590. It is very rare and has become a classic in engineering literature.
“…The difficulties that Fontana faced were the great weight, the great bulk and the fear of breaking this fragile stone in moving it. It weighed half again more than the obelisk now in New York…First, the edict of authority was issued so that Fontana could obtain the required men, draft-animals, timber, equipment, subsistence and rights-of-way, and at the same time be free from litigation due to possible damage incurred in the operation. The following is the document as issued by the pope and as based on his sovereign right of eminent domain.
“We, Sixtus V, grant power and full authority to Domenico Fontana, architect of the Holy Apostolic Palace, in order that he may more easily and more quickly transport the Vatican obelisk to the Piazza of St. Peter, to make use, as long as this removal lasts, of whatever workmen and laborers, with the apparatus that may be necessary, of whatever kind it may be, and when in need to compel anyone to lend material to him, or sell it, he, however, satisfying them with due compensation.
“That he can make use of all the boards, timbers, and wood of any size, which are in places convenient for his needs, regardless of to whom they belong, paying, however, the due price to the owner of this lumber, in accordance with the decision of two arbitrators chosen by the parties; and that he can cut, or have cut, all the wood which may in any way belong to the church of St. Peter, its chapels and canons, particularly in the ground of the Campo Morto, or of the Hospital of San Spirito in Sassia, or of the Apostolic Chamber, without making any payment, and he can carry this wood to whatever place he desires; and let out to pasture the animals used in this work without incurring any punishment, making up, however, for damage done, according to the decision of experts chosen for this purpose.
“That he can buy and carry away the above-mentioned articles and anything else necessary from any person whatever, without paying excise tax or customs duty of any kind. That he can, without a license, or permit, get together in Rome or in other cities and neighboring places any amount of victuals for his own use and that of his workers and animals.
“That he can requisition and carry away from wherever he finds them, capstans, ropes and cords, whether loose or fixed, undertaking, however, to repair them and make them whole, paying a due recompense; and that in the same way he can make use of all the instruments and apparatus belonging to the edifice of St. Peter, and can order the agents, representatives and officials of the said building in a due space of time to make free and clear the Piazza around the obelisk so that it can be removed and to accommodate him in whatever way necessary in this undertaking.
“That he can (if it be necessary) tear down, or have torn down, the houses near the said obelisk, deciding first on the way in which to compensate the owners for the damage. Finally, authority is given to the said Domenico Fontana to do, command, execute and carry out any other thing necessary to this task, and, moreover, that he, together with his agents, workers and domestic servants in any place and at any time may carry any force of arms necessary, except those prohibited; all the magistrates and officials of the entire estate of the church are commanded to aid and help the said Domenico Fontana in the above-mentioned things, as are all others subject in any way at all to the authority of the Holy See, of whatever rank and condition, under pain of Our displeasure, and a fine of 500 ducats to the Treasury, and other punishments at Our discretion. No one shall dare impede, nor in any way molest the carrying out of this work of the said Domenico, his agents, or workers, but on the contrary without delay or any pretext, everyone shall help, obey and support him; anything to the contrary notwithstanding. Given at Rome in St. Mark’s this 5th day of October, 1585.’
“…Fontana was…particularly careful in anticipating the development of cracks in his obelisk by avoiding the strains that would have expanded such cracks into breaks’ The combined weight of the protective planking, the blocks, the ropes and bars rose to 56,459 pounds, which were added to the weight of the obelisk, making the total 737,690 pounds which had to be lifted by the ropes and levers. On opposite sides of the tower the main timbers had scantlings attached to them forming ladders that reached up to the top.
“…When the time came for inclining the obelisk after raising it above its base, it was planned to draw the shaft at its foot towards the west into the opening pierced through the sacristy wall. The obelisk foot was to be rested on a timber carriage laid on rollers. Fifty-three men were assigned to the levers in the raising process, 35 to the westerly levers and 18 to the two levers pointing east. Some were to pull directly on the ropes attached to the levers, others to bear on the capstans attached by rope to the levers. Additional men with sledges and mauls clambered through the tower and obelisk, driving wedges to tighten the binding members and stiffen the system. As in any similar modern job, these men wore metal helmets to protect them from objects falling from above.
“…In addition to the tall barricade enclosing the working area, stringent orders were published that prohibited anyone beyond the barricade from passing the barriers or hindering the workmen in any way, nor might they speak, spit or make any loud noise, under penalty of severe punishment, “including death.” This was intended to make it easier for orders to be heard over the noise of 900 moving men and 74 horses and over the scrape and rumble of ropes, blocks, capstans and timber. Police were assigned to carry out this strict order and the resulting silence gave rise to one of the prettiest legends in engineering history. This story has, through the last two centuries, become so much a part of the general story of the erection of the Vatican obelisk
that, in permitting its refutation, one owes to tradition, at least, the kindness of its repetition.
“It seems (so the legend goes) that at one point of the operations the silenced multitude (who were threatened with death if they uttered a word) noted that all was not going well with the strained ropes. One version has it that the speed and strain of winding caused the ropes and blocks to get dangerously hot, another version has it that they stretched so much that they piled up on the capstan drums, the leverage ratio dropping so low that the horses and men could no longer continue to pull.
“At this critical moment, a lusty voice rang out from someone in the silent crowd—it was the voice of an old Genoese sailor named Bresca di Bordighera, and it called out ‘Aqua alle funi!’ (‘Water on the ropes!’) Thereupon water was poured on the failing ropes, they grew taut they held, and the obelisk was saved! Instead of condemning the spirited and brave sailor to death the legend has it that honors were bestowed on him and his family, and that to this day his descendants have the exclusive privilege of selling palms used in the procession on Palm Sunday in St. Peter’s.
“The date for the lowering operations of the obelisk was set by Fontana as April 30, 1586. A last preparatory task was the removal of the ancient metal ball still at the obelisk top, placed there by the old Romans and believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar. The ball was removed but no ashes were found there. The tower was complete, blocks were in position, capstans and ground tackle fixed in their places. The men were divided into their respective crews, assigned to their posts and again drilled each in his special task. Their equipment and supplies were distributed and last minute checks were made. An air of expectancy fell upon the metropolis.
“…by sunrise (of the 30th) every man and horse was at his post ready to proceed. The morning was a typically clear and serene Roman spring day and all Rome moved towards the Piazza to witness the event that had held their interest so deeply and for so long a time. The great personages of Rome and the nobility of all Italy were present. The majority of the College of Cardinals and the city officials were there. Upon roofs and windows facing the square and upon the walls and scaffolding of the incomplete St. Peter’s there were crowds of onlookers. The city police was reinforced by the Swiss Guards and a detachment of cavalry kept the swarming populace in order.
“…upon his (Fontana’s) signal the trumpet sounded and over 900 men and 74 horses bore on their lever-arms. The gear groaned, ropes tightened and the great stone budged with a rumble that Fontana describes as like an earthquake. The bell was then rung and positions were held as the foremen inspected the equipment. It was found that the top one of the horizontal bands had burst. Evidently the radial component of tension on this band had been underestimated in arrangement of the blocks. Repairs were made and in twelve additional moves the shaft was raised more than two feet above its pedestal. This permitted the timber carriage, moving over rollers, to be slipped into the gap, completing the first phase of the operation. By 10 o’clock that evening the quitting-signal was sounded. The success of this first step was celebrated by the firing of a signal gun which was answered by a burst of artillery from the city’s batteries and great joy was shown by the multitude.
“Upon re-examination of the results of the first move in the operation it was found that not only the top band had broken, but that all nine bands had suffered somewhat—some had slid from their positions, others had twisted or had developed breaks in their sections. To prevent further slippage, rope slings were passed under the obelisk foot, for it was found that none of the rope lashings had suffered as had the iron ones, and this added precaution had saved the old stone. It was also found that some of the vertical bars had also been broken at their eyes. Evidently the bars had not been adjusted to share the load equally as no adjustment mechanism (turnbuckles or wedges) had been provided and the “cascading” of such breaks had not yet been a province of study. The result was the shearing of pins and jaw-members in the hand-forged, and therefore ill-fitting, elements. Fontana did not understand ‘shear’ and was mystified by the clean break that looked ‘as if cut by a knife…’
“For the lowering operation three new steps were taken. The first of these was to shift the system of pulleys from the east face of the obelisk to the other three faces so that this face, being the bottom one when resting on the carriage, would have no encumbrances in the descent. The second step was to introduce a sliding brace, having its top bear upon the underside of the lowering obelisk and having its foot slide outward as the stone came slowly down…. The third innovation was a group of four blocks that were attached to the foot of the obelisk and the ropes from these were passed through a corresponding set of blocks positioned on the west face of the sacristy. The purpose of this was to be sure that the base of the obelisk would be properly drawn through the opening made in the eastern sacristy wall as the obelisk moved away from its vertical into its horizontal position. This would also help keep the main ropes in a vertical position, thereby avoiding lateral strain. However, these elaborate precautions seemed quite unnecessary because when the shaft was half-way down, there was shown a tendency for the carriage on its rollers to slide westward without any aid; in fact, the slide had to be controlled by rigging up ropes in the opposite direction from that originally intended. To avoid the danger of impact developing from a jerky or too rapid motion of such a great and fragile weight, it was deemed necessary to add a bridle by attaching five additional blocks to the top of the obelisk and to connect these by rope to five equivalent pulleys suspended from the top of the sacristy. It had required eight days to make these preparations for lowering the shaft, the date of lowering up to May 7. In this, the initial raising of the shaft, the same signals were used, but in reverse order. At the trumpet blast, the main capstans paid out rope while the capstans connected at the base wound theirs up, thereby pulling the base westward. As the bell sounded work stopped, the gear was examined, and the ropes were tightened equally.
“The operation ran smoothly with no unexpected occurrences. By 10 o’clock that night the obelisk had been completely lowered and rested properly blocked up on its carriage. The master engineer of this operation then received his due reward by being accompanied to his home by an honor guard of drums and trumpets. The next four days were required to prepare for the next phase of the operation, transporting the obelisk. The capstans, rigging and tower had first to be dismantled and this required rolling the sleeping monument out of range of possibly falling iron or timber. With bolts loosened, the tower members and rigging were then removed to the new site and work was begun clearing the obelisk pedestal of its 1500 years of accumulated earth and debris which had buried it almost up to the base of the shaft. The solidly-packed earth about the stone pedestal made it possible for Fontana to lay the planks for the rollers and carriage right under the obelisk itself. Fontana planned to replace the obelisk pedestal in its new position in a condition as much like the original as he could. He therefore moved the metal corner astragals and then the pedestal stone, which stood eight feet six inches high and was nine feet six inches square and weighed 55 and1/2 tons.
“Beneath it and occupying a narrower space was a rougher stone weighing 63 tons. The next courses were of white marble connected by iron clamps encased in lead. Fontana was surprised to find the iron of the clamps in a perfect state of preservation. The lowest courses were of travertine forming three steps that rested on decomposed concrete. Because the top stone was damaged in removing the astragals, two inches of the pedestal had to be cut away. In the new pedestal, between the two lower strata of marble, was placed a new stone bearing the names of Sixtus V and Fontana and giving an account of the transportation…
“The distance from the old position (of the obelisk) to its new in the center of the recreated Piazza is only about 275 yards and covers an elevational drop of nearly thirty feet. This was of great advantage to Fontana for it enabled him to bridge the distance by a causeway of increasing height so that the obelis
k could be swung right over its newly reconstructed pedestal without having to be raised the corresponding height.
“…The preparations for resetting the obelisk over its new base consisted of reversing the procedure in having it lowered. The tower timbers were dragged to the new site and re-erected on the broadened section of the causeway. On the tower were hung pulleys and riggings for the raising operation and the rope and pulleys were attached to the bands of the three free faces of the obelisk after it had been moved on its carriage to its position over the pedestal. Because of the spread length of the obelisk in its prone position and the increased stresses in the raising (as against the lowering) process, the number of horses was increased from 74 to 140. Of the 48 capstans set out for the raising process, 40 were assigned to the lifting tackle, and in the east end four were intended to drag the obelisk base forward to the central position.
“On September 10, 1586 dawn found every detail ready…At the east end of the ramp a command tower was built for Fontana and his deputies. With the experience gained in the lowering phase the raising moved much more quickly and smoothly. When the obelisk was at about 45° angle, it was buttressed by timbers and the tackle was made fast. The crew (of eight hundred men) were then permitted to eat and rest. At sundown that day the shaft was hanging vertically over its pedestal after 57 pulls and pauses. The joy of the great crowd and the holiday atmosphere of the occasion gave rise to spontaneous jubilation.
“The next day, again as in the lowering stage, levers were in use to raise the shaft over the pedestal. There were clear vertical spaces under the north and south faces. With the obelisk raised, blocks and wedges were driven between its base and pedestal and the carriage was thus free to be rolled out of the way. The capstans were then tightened and the bronze astragals, now in the form of gilded bronze lions (the work of the sculptor Prospero Bresciano), were set in stress-equalizing lead at the four corners. These astragals were not level, thereby requiring metal shims to be inserted until the shaft stood perfectly vertical.
The Occult Renaissance Church of Rome Page 42
