Who is the Pope with a throne, balcony, and altar on his train?

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Rome-Velletri-Ceprano and Rome-Ancona-Bologna. In this scenario, Pio Centrale and Pio Latina, the companies responsible for the railway lines within the Papal States, were planning to gift the Pope with their trains.

It was built in France in 1858 at a cost of 140,000 francs and consisted of three vehicles, each with a specific function. The first two, the Throne Coach and Balcony Coach, also known as the Loggia delle Benedizioni, were created by the company Delettrez et Compagnie.

The third vehicle, known as the Chapel Car, was built at the Compagnie Générale des Matériels de Chemins de Fer’s facilities in Paris to the design of engineer and architect Emile Torella. Its ceiling was adorned with a fresco by Jean-Léon Gérôme and Charles-Antoine Cambon depicting the Pope inaugurating trains and ships, symbolizing the Pope’s intention to present himself as a modern leader.

The chapel car was the most ornate and was equipped with an altar and liturgical furniture, allowing the Pope to celebrate Mass during his travels. The throne car, with its yellow and white upholstery, was more enclosed and modest, intended for official meetings and long-distance journeys, and served as a place of work and rest.

The third carriage, the Balcony or Panoramic Car, had open windows and Solomonic columns, giving it the appearance of a “mobile loggia.” From there, Pius IX was able to greet and bless the faithful at the train station, getting closer to the people than ever before. One of the carriages had the Pope’s coat of arms painted in large letters.

Horse-drawn carriages were transported from France to Italy in 1859, first up the Rhone to Marseilles, then by sea to Civitavecchia, and then to Ripa Grande south of the Tiber. Pius IX made his maiden voyage on July 3, 1859, leaving Rome’s Porta Maggiore station for Cecchina station (Albano) near Castel Gandolfo.

This first visit marked the beginning of a series of papal trips through the territory, taking advantage of the innovative rail infrastructure championed by the pope himself. The last trip carrying the Pope was from Rome to Frosinone in 1863, and was recorded in a famous photograph at Velletri station.

Around 1870, the Papal States came to an end with the occupation of Rome by Italian forces. With the unification of Italy, the trains were decommissioned, first in Civitavecchia and then at Termini station, where some of their decorations were removed and they were abandoned.

From oblivion to recovery

It was not until 1911, when it was exhibited at Castel Sant’Angelo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Italian unification, that the train was recognized as a historical artifact. The state-owned company Ferrovie dello Stato took over its recovery and carried out initial conservation restoration.

Around 1930, the state donated the train to the city of Rome, which transferred it to the Roman Museum on Via Cerchi. On August 8, 1951, the carriage was taken to its new headquarters in Palazzo Braschi in a parade that impressed the Romans, even forcing them to widen the opening in the façade of Piazza Navona.

In 2010, the train was transferred to the Centrale Montemartini, an archaeological museum that is part of the Capitoline Museums and housed in a former thermoelectric power plant, where it has been on display in Boiler Room 2 since 2016. The contrast between classical statues and large obsolete machinery creates a fascinating dialogue between antiquity and modernity.