Carved from a single piece of red granite 25m tall, it was originally erected at Heliopolis, Egypt on 1835BC in honor of a sun god. Emperor Caligula brought it to Rome in 37AD to honor his two predecessors, Augustus and Tiberius. This marked the start of the Roman imperial cult, which elevated dead emperors to divine level. While located south of the present Basilica, it might have been a silent witness to the executions of apostles Peter & Paul.
In 1586, this pagan artifact was moved to the center of St. Peter’s Square to honor Christ.
The Latin text carved into its base means "Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands. May Christ defend his people from all evil."