CASTEL SANT’ANGELO

Description

Essentials about Castel Sant’Angelo in brief

Among the many world-famous sights of Rome, Castel Sant’Angelo is certainly one of the city’s landmarks. Located directly on the right bank of the Tiber, Castel Sant’Angelo has had a very turbulent history even by Roman standards. Throughout its history, the castle has been an imperial mausoleum, part of the city walls, fortress, papal residence, barracks, prison, execution site and museum. Today Castel Sant’Angelo is a museum that informs about the turbulent history of the structure and displays weapons, furniture and utensils.

The Mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian

The Castel Sant’Angelo was originally commissioned by Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum. Construction began during Hadrian’s lifetime in 123 and was completed 16 years later under his successor, Antonius Pius. At the same time, the Ponte Sant’Angelo was also built, which to this day connects Castel Sant’Angelo with the center of Rome. All Roman emperors from Hadrian to Caracalla were buried in the mausoleum.

The building consists of a square foundation 89 meters wide, on which was placed a cylinder surrounded by columns, 64 meters in diameter and 20 meters high. The top of the cylinder was probably originally designed as a garden with cypress trees. In the center there was probably a small round temple, at the top of which a quadriga was enthroned, showing Hadrian as the sun god. However, there are other reconstructions of the Castel Sant’Angelo.

The name “Castel Sant’Angelo”

Incidentally, Castel Sant’Angelo received its name in 590, when the plague raged in Rome. Pope Gregory I the Great is said to have seen the apparition of the Archangel Michael above the mausoleum, who announced to him the end of the plague. Since the plague actually ended, the statue of the angel on the top of the building still commemorates this episode.

The Castel Sant’Angelo in the Middle Ages

When the city walls were reinforced by Emperor Aurelian at the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th century, the very solidly built mausoleum was integrated into the fortifications as a citadel. In the 6th century, the Gothic king Totila recognized the importance of the castle for controlling the city and expanded it as a base. From the 10th century, Castel Sant’Angelo was owned by the popes and served as a refuge in case of danger. For this purpose, in 1277, under Pope Nicholas III, the famous Passetto di Borgo was built, an above-ground passageway integrated into a wall and about 800 meters long, connecting Castel Sant’Angelo with the Vatican. Throughout history, the passage was used several times by popes to escape.

The Castel Sant’Angelo in modern times

In the 15th century Castel Sant’Angelo was converted into a fortress under Popes Alexander VI and Nicholas V. At the same time, the popes set up sumptuously furnished apartments, with the 16th-century Sala Paolina being one of the most beautiful papal chambers that can still be visited today. In later years, Castel Sant’Angelo also served as a prison for the Inquisition. Towards the end of the 18th century, the popes neglected the place. In 1870, the fortification finally became the property of the Italian state and from then on served as a fortress and prison. Some of the halls were turned into museums and the castle was opened to the public.

The levels of Castel Sant’Angelo

In total, the structure in its current form can be divided into five levels. From the lowest level, a 122-meter-long ramp leads upwards in a spiral. The second level houses the prison and storage rooms for wheat and oil. The third level is the military one with two courtyards. The most important level is the fourth. Here one finds the papal apartment, a sequence of rooms with mannerist frescoes, the halls of several popes, a private papal bathroom, the treasury and a terrace. In the Castel Sant’Angelo Museum, since 1901, in 58 rooms, in addition to the history of the building, weapons, furniture and utensils are displayed.