In italian : Castel Sant’Angelo
The Castel Sant’Angelo is one of the most beautiful and interesting monuments in Rome, located on the right bank of the Tiber. Its central body is the Mausoleum of Hadrian. This large circular tomb built for the emperor in the 2nd century A.D. was fortified after the empire.
From the mausoleum to the castle
The Mausoleum of Hadrian was built for the family of the emperor Hadrian by the architect Demetriano between the year 117 and the year 138 AD. A bridge was built at that time, the Pons Ælius, in the place of the current Ponte Sant’Angelo, to cross the Tiber connecting the Campus Martius on the side of the historic heart of Rome to the mausoleum. The mausoleum was a square base with in the center the cylindrical structure that became the base of the castle.
At the top of the mausoleum stood a statue of the Emperor, personified as God sun, with a bronze chariot.
Castel Sant’Angelo
In the 5th century, bastions were added to integrate it into the Aurelian Walls, making a defensive work. The mausoleum was thus transformed into a fortress in the Middle Ages, and in 1277, this castle became the property of the church. This completely transformed it into a prison fortress, and notably built a fortified high passage to connect it to the Vatican district, the Passetto.
The angel
The name of the castle is inherited from a miraculous apparition during the plague of the year 590. According to legend, Pope Gregory the Great prayed in a procession, had the vision of an angel lowering his sword. He interpreted this gesture as the sign of the coming disappearance of the plague. After this event, a wooden statue of a sword angel was mounted at the top of the castle.
This statue has known many versions over time, some in marble. A bronze version was cast in 1527 to forge weapons. The current statue, the sixth, dates from 1753.
Visit of the castle
The interior of the castle is formed by five levels, consisting of many rooms dating from the Roman era, but also several rooms covered with frescoes that date from the Renaissance. Much of the old mausoleum structure is preserved, including the ancient Roman walls visible from the outside.
In the basement is the Roman atrium that housed under antiquity a colossal statue of the emperor Hadrian. A circular and ascending tunnel leads higher to a corridor that arrives on the burial chamber, located in the centre of the mausoleum. This square room with three niches, was covered with marble. Here were preserved the ashes of Hadrian and other emperors, including the Antonines and the Severe, as far as Caracalla.
Passetto
The passetto (“Small Passage” in English) is a portion of the ancient Leonine Walls of the 9th century, connecting the castle to the apostolic palaces of the Vatican. Inside the wall was a corridor 800 meters long around the fourteenth century to allow the Pope and his course to take refuge in the castle in case of danger.
Photo gallery
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- The castle from the bridge
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- Mausoleum of Hadrian
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- Castel Sant’Angelo
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- Interior of the Mausoleum of Hadrian
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- Ponte Sant’Angelo
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- Rooms of the castle
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- Angel of the castle
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- Ancient colossal head
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- Castle Sant’Angelo
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- Castle and bridge Sant’Angelo
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- Le Passetto
Information, timetable and map
Castel Sant’Angelo
Lungotevere Castello, 50
Open every day from 9 am to 7:30 pm (the ticket office closes at 6:30 pm).
Closed on December 25th, May 1st and January 1st.
Full price: 15 €, reduced 2 € (European between 18 and 25 years), free for under 18 years, disabled, etc
Links and sources
- Official website : www.castelsantangelo.com
- On the web : Castel Sant’Angelo on Wikipedia
Map
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Guided tours
Selection of hotels
Selection of hotels, apartments and chambers near Castel Sant’Angelo, ordered by price or by distance from the castle.
- Good hotels and accommodation sorted BY PRICE less than 600 meters from Castel Sant’Angelo
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