A silent and reverent tribute by the Order of Malta and the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art to the Pope who chose the name Leo XIV

In the heart of the Aventine Hill, a majestic bronze lion by artist Davide Rivalta has been placed in the gardens of the Magistral Villa of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, creating a silent dialogue between art, nature, and spirituality.

Standing upright, the lion is visible through the famous “keyhole” of the Knights of Malta Square, perfectly aligned with the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica—a legendary view of Rome that, as of Saturday, 28 June, is now enriched with a new layer of meaning.

Thanks to the collaboration with the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome and the generous support of its Director, Renata Cristina Mazzantini, the Order has obtained on loan one of Rivalta’s celebrated bronze lions, two of which are already on display under the portico of the Quirinale Palace’s Courtyard of Honour.

Now, by peering through the keyhole of the great gate designed by Giovan Battista Piranesi in 1765, visitors will not only see the iconic profile of St. Peter’s Dome, but also—at its base—the watchful figure of a Lion: a solemn and discreet presence meant as a silent and reverent tribute to His Holiness the Pope “qui sibi nomen imposuit Leonem Decimum Quartum.”

“The lion speaks without roaring,” said Fra’ John T. Dunlap, Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta. “And in its noble stillness, it reminds us of the silent strength that protects, serves, and contemplates: a strength that lies at the heart of our mission.”

The installation was conceived by the Grand Master and realized under the care of the Embassy of the Sovereign Order to the Holy See.

Biographical note:

Davide Rivalta (Bologna, 1974) is an Italian sculptor renowned for his monumental animal representations, primarily crafted in bronze, aluminum, and fiberglass. His works depict lions, gorillas, wolves, buffalo, and other creatures in solemn, silent poses—poised between realism and symbolic presence. His animals inhabit public and institutional spaces—courtyards, piazzas, gardens—without rhetoric, yet with expressive intensity and profound elegance.