This is one of three prints by Piranesi showing Sta. Maria Maggiore, a major papal basilica built in the 5th century to honor the Virgin Mary. Piranesi here depicts the basilica’s apsidal facade as seen from the Piazza dell’Esquilino. The monumental baroque exterior of the apse dates to the late 17th century. Pope Clement IX had begun the project of remodeling, appointing Bernini as architect in 1669. However, his project was cancelled due to the proposed expense, and in 1673 Clement X appointed Carlo Rainaldi to execute a less ambitious, though still monumental, design. A symmetrical Baroque design was put in place by covering the old apse in a new external cladding, thereby leaving the celebrated 13th century mosaic in the apse’s dome untouched. Piranesi also shows the Esquiline Obelisk, an ancient Roman obelisk found near the site of the Mausoleum of Augustus in 1527 and erected on the Esquiline hill by Pope Sixtus V in 1587. The obelisk and the church are surrounded by a varied cast of Roman characters, from the unsavory to the aristocratic, the hard at work to the leisurely – a common characteristic of Piranesi’s views, providing the viewer with a realistic glimpse into Roman city life.