Felice Peretti, since that was the name of Sixtus V, before assuming the throne of the bishop of Rome, came from a peasant family and was a Franciscan, who thanks to his abilities quickly ascended in the Church hierarchy. His statements were always direct, precise and often critical in relation to the clergy. Reportedly he had wanted to become pope so much that, when he came to the conclave and realized that the wish of the gathered cardinals was to elect an old (transitional) candidate he fell so ill that he could not walk without aid. However, when the white smoke announced his election, he discarded the crutches, straightened his figure and turned out to be a sprightly sixty-four year old. At the same time he showed himself be as a great reformer of the Church in the spirit in the Council of Trent and an ardent enemy of Protestantism. Undoubtedly he was one of the most entrepreneurial and effective popes of those times, believing in the authority of the papal tiara, to which he wanted to bring back significance and prestige. He was principled and unwavering on issues of morality – which was testified to by his struggle against abortion, homosexualism and unfaithfulness in marriage, as well as the sexual life of priests. He showed himself to be a fearsome judge even in the face of the influential Cardinal Marco Sittico Altemps, whose son Roberto at the age of 20 was sentenced to death for adultery. In this way the pope had wanted to show that even the representatives of renowned Roman families could not avoid punishment. One of the many stories which illustrates his uncompromising attitude tells of the time when Pasquino (an ancient sculpture on which pamphlets were hung), was dressed in a dirty shirt, when – as the bold scoffer announced – “donna Camilla became a duchess.” This was the pope’s sister who from a laundress had become an aristocrat. Sixtus announced, that he would spare the life of the pamphlet writer and would even  reward him, if he admitted to the transgression. If on the other hand he would have been denounced by somebody else he was to be executed. When the culprit confessed the pope fulfilled his promise but had his arms cut off and his tongue pierced.

However, those that “suffered” the most during his pontificate were bandits, thieves and street pickpockets for which the city on the Tiber was famous. As soon as he was enthroned, which usually meant a general amnesty for the convicted, instead he had them hung on the Bridge of the Holy Angel. The struggle against them became a true obsession for the pope and it must be admitted that he spared no expenses. This can be further testified to by a relief on his tombstone depicting “headhunters” proudly wielding their trophies in the process of “cleansing” the city of bandits.

Thanks to financial reforms and imposed taxes the papal treasury (despite a short pontificate: 1585-1590) was at that time one of the wealthiest in Europe, although the pontifex spared no expenses for urban and cleaning works in the city. His trusted architect, who was tasked with providing Rome with a modern but also representative character was Domenico Fontana. It was he, whom the pope entrusted with the creation of a comfortable connection among the seven most important basilicas, so that pilgrims could access them in a simple and comfortable way. The network of city streets was also constructed and renovated, while fountains started to spout water from the aqueduct which supplied the city with it. The pope took great pleasure in razing and taking apart the remains of ancient structures, using them as a building material to erect a thoroughly Christian Rome. Apparently though, he had a weakness for Egyptian obelisks, which at any cost he ordered placed in the most important locations in the city and had them adorned with crosses and his coat of arms. Patterning himself after emperors he ordered an arch to be constructed and Esquiline Hill, commemorating the construction of the aqueduct, which was started during the pontificate of his predecessor (called Felice from the pope’s name)

On the other hand, his famous work on the translation of the Bible (the so-called Sistine Vulgate), which he undertook, allowing himself to make far-reaching changes and interpretations of the Holy Scriptures was a major problem for subsequent popes. Assuming that the one written in the IV century by Jerome was full of mistakes, Sixtus V created his own version, at the same time changing the numeration of verses and layout of chapters, also omitting fragments which he considered faulty. After the pope’s death the cardinal and subsequent bishops of Rome had quite the trouble with Sixtus’s Vulgate. It was agreed that it would be forgotten, which was by no means easy since its numerous copies were already in circulation and were by the will of the pope the only appropriate version of the Bible. Therefore, it was the printers who were accused of the mistakes, while the printed copies were thoroughly bought-out and destroyed.

After the death of Sixtus V, crowds entered Capitoline Hill and destroyed the pope’s statue erected there. This was a response to his iron fist, with which he firmly held the inhabitants of the city, but also due to the financial burdens to which they fell victim.

Structures created during the pontificate of Sixtus V:

•     While still alive the pope commissioned the construction of his posthumous mausoleum in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) created at his initiative is richly decorated with bas-reliefs and paintings, while along one of the walls stands a statue of Sixtus, the work of Domenico Fontana.
•     He commissioned the reconstruction after a fire of the bishop’s palace as well as the modernization and decoration of the Cappella Santa Sanctorum and Scala Santa on the Lateran.
•     He completed another stage of the construction of the Basilica of San Pietro in Vaticano, finishing it with a dome planned by Michelangelo and completed in 1590 by Giacomo della Porta.
•     He ordered a loggia, known as Loggia di Sisto, to be added to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, from which he could bless the faithful.
•     In 1587 he bought a palace (Villa Monte Cavallo) on Quirinal Hill, which it time became the   summer papal residence (Palazzo del Quirinale).
•     He ordered the enlargement of the Apostolic Place as well as the construction and decoration of a new library on the Vatican.
•     He was the initiator of the reconstruction of the Church of San Girolamo degli Schiavoni and adorning it with paintings (present-day San Girolamo dei Croati).
•     He ordered the transfer of Egyptian obelisks to central locations in Rome (Piazza di San Pietro, Piazza del Popolo, in front of the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano and at the base of the apse of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
•     He ordered images of the emperors to be taken down from Trajan’s Column and the Column of Marcus Aurelius and had them replaced with statues of Peter and St. Paul.
•     He finished the construction of the Acqua Felice aqueduct and initiated the creation of Fontana dell’Acqua Felice. He also ordered the construction of numerous other fountains (including the Fontana dei Catecumeni, Fontana dei Dioscuri as well as a complex of fountains (Quattro Fontane), created along the way of this water tract and completed by Giacomo dell Porta.
•       He ordered the construction of the Arch of Sixtus V (Arco di Sisto V), currently located at the Termini Railway Station, but in the past standing along the road leading from one side to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and from the other to the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli.