Porta San Pellegrino

Porta San Pellegrino is a gate in the outer wall of Vatican City. It is located beside Bernini's Colonnade and the small Vatican post; it is also known as Porta Viridaria. Rebuilt by Pope Alexander VI in 1492, the gate is surmounted by his papal coat of arms. The gate is little used. Originally part of the ninth-century Leonine Walls commissioned by Pope Leo IV to defend St. Peter's Basilica from Saracen raids, it once marked the principal northern entrance for pilgrims. Although its military purpose has long passed, the gate's austere ashlar masonry and heraldic reliefs still evoke its defensive and ceremonial significance.