Pigna

Vatican Museums, Vatican City
May 2026

Vatican courtyard

This was at one end of a large courtyard that I later learned is called the Cortile della Pigna. I have to admit that at first I wasn't sure what it depicted. My first thought was that it might be a pineapple, but it is actually a giant pinecone—the word pigna simply means "pinecone."

Other exhibits in the courtyard seem to attract most visitors' attention, but I was drawn to the symmetry of the display and the sense of reverence created by its placement in its own alcove.

The sculpture originally stood near the Pantheon in Rome before being moved to the Vatican. The matching peacocks beside it are reproductions of ancient Roman sculptures.

In Roman tradition, pinecones symbolized fertility, regeneration, and eternal life. Later Christian symbolism associated them with resurrection and spiritual renewal.