Bernini masterpiece restored in time for Jubilee Year.

Rome's Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, the work of Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini, was unveiled on Thursday after a seven-month restoration.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri switched on the water in the landmark fountain, which dates to the mid 17th century, saying the monument had been returned to its original splendour.

The restoration was carried out ahead of the Vatican's Jubilee Year, which will be launched by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve, as part of the city's programme of Jubilee works.

Gualtieri noted that Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, a "Baroque masterpiece", was commmissioned by Pope Innocent X Pamphilj for the Jubilee of 1650.

Concluso il restauro della fontana dei Quattro Fiumi di piazza Navona, che segue gli interventi appena conclusi delle fontane del Moro e del Nettuno. Capolavoro del Bernini, fu realizzata tra il 1648 e il 1651 a celebrazione dell'universalismo della Chiesa di Roma. #PNRR pic.twitter.com/IpBVma2HUW

— Sovrintendenza Roma (@Sovrintendenza) December 20, 2024

Restorers removed limescale and algae and treated the fountain for damage caused by mineral deposits and smog, 20 years after its last restoration.

“This is the most important fountain in Rome together with the Trevi Fountain" - said the city's superintendent for cultural heritage Claudio Parisi Presicce - "It was built using travertine for the rock base and marble for the sculptures. The obelisk comes from the Villa of Maxentius and was taken by Pope Innocent X who, for the Jubilee of 1650, wanted to leave a monument to this place that would remain in history."

Last month Rome completed the restoration of three other historic fountains, one in front of the Pantheon and two at either end of Piazza Navona: the Fountain of Neptune and the Fountain of the Moor.

Photo Roma Capitale