Castel Sant'Angelo

Welcome to Castel Sant’Angelo, the Castle of the Holy Angel, or Mausoleum of Hadrian, as it is also known.

Look at the particular cylindrical shape of this building! Almost 2000 years after its construction, it still serves as a landmark in this city. The reason for the two names is that when it was constructed it first served as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian and his family, and later also for his successors. The latter name it got from the legend that Archangel Michael landed on top of this very building as a sign of the end of the plague, that had been terrorizing Rome for years, back in the 600 century.

Look up at the spectacular Baroque angels that have been added during time, and that even further give emphasis to the latter name of the castle. The Archangel looking down upon us from above today was added a few hundred years ago, and the one that it replaced can be seen in one of the patios inside the castle.

This place has an intriguing history! After serving as a mausoleum the castle was turned into a military fortress and served as a place for the pope to hide in times of war. Many years later a tunnel was built from the Vatican to ensure the Pope’s safe escape to this fortress. A treasury room was also organized in what used to be the very crypt that housed the urns with the ashes of the Emperors. During the castle’s days as a military fortress many of the original decorations were lost or destroyed. Some, like the original statues and outdoor decorations, were even used as weapons to defend this building and the people within it. When the Goths invaded Rome 1500 years ago the statues were thrown down upon them.

Some of the missing decorations have curiously been found in other places throughout Rome; like the capstone of Hadrian’s urn, that is now to be found in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, just around the corner. It is supposed to have found its way there and first served as a decoration of another tomb and later as a part of a Renaissance baptistery. As the old pagan gods where abandoned and Christianity took hold of Rome, all the pagan temples were destroyed and many of the decorations were in fact re-used in this matter, to honor the new God. Ironical, isn’t it?

After years of serving as a papal prison this magnificent castle is now a museum, and, luckily, no more executions are to be witnessed at its courtyards. Today peace rests upon this ancient building, and if we don’t want to enter the museum, let’s at least climb up and watch the views from its heights, once upon a time the tallest building in Rome! After that little adventure, let’s move on to the next stop of our tour!

Photo 0 Castel et pont Sant'Angelo (2) by Jean-Pol GRANDMONT is licensed under  CC BY-SA 3.0