Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome: what you need to know before you go
Castel Sant’Angelo is Rome’s fortress. Its history goes back to ancient Rome, but it is also closely connected to the history of the Popes and the Vatican.
As we walk along the Tiber, not far from St. Peter’s Basilica, we see the huge Castle of Rome, which is sure to catch our attention.
There has been a big, round, strange-looking mass there for a very long time. Its stones know a lot about the past.
Castel Sant’Angelo history
In fact, the Romans built it at Hadrian’s request in 123 AD as a tomb for the emperor, his family, and his successors, at least up to Caracalla.
The building, which is now all part of the castle, had a huge statue of the emperor on horseback on top, and it was exactly the same as the other great imperial mausoleum, which was on the other side of the Tiber and was used until Nerva’s time.
Every time you walk into the castle, which is now a museum, you find something new. Castel Sant’Angelo history is truly incredible.
The tour starts in the Roman mausoleum, which is the heart of the monument.
After walking up the famous helical and circular ramp, you reach the Sala delle Urne, which was built for the imperial family to be buried in.
On one of the facades, there is still a marble plaque with a poem in Latin that Hadrian wrote to his own soul. The poem says, “Little lost and sweet soul, companion and guest of the body, now you are getting ready to go down to colorless, hard, and empty places, where you will no longer have your usual entertainment.”
In the 3rd century AD, during the reign of Aurelian, the Mausoleum was changed for the first time and turned into a real military outpost. It was part of the city’s defenses, which made use of its closeness to the Tiber.
Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, the building went through a lot of changes that turned it into a castle or fortress. It will be the stronghold of Senators Teofilatto, Crescenzi, Pierleoni, and Orsini, who had long fought over it with the most powerful Roman families.
The famous Passetto di Borgo, which connects the Vatican to the Castle and can be seen in the summer, was built by Orsini, who was Pope Nicholas III.
This was the secret passage that many popes used to get to the safety of the fortress when enemies attacked the Papal Palace near St. Peter’s and put their lives in danger.
Instead, its name comes from a miracle that happened in the past. In fact, it is said that when a terrible plague hit the city in the year 590, San Gregorio Magno decided to hold a procession to ask the Lord to end the disease.
When the pope got to the top of the castle, the Archangel Michael appeared on top of the mole, putting his sword away to tell him that the plague was over. Because of this, the mausoleum/fort changed its name and became known as Castel Sant’Angelo.
Another important date is 1367, when the building’s keys were given to Pope Urban V so that he could ask for the Curia to be brought back to Rome from Avignon. From then on, the castle’s fate was tied to that of the popes, who turned it into a home where they could stay when they were in danger.
Around the middle of the 15th century, sumptuous apartments were built inside. Because of its solid, reinforced, and impregnable structure, it was also the perfect place to keep the Vatican’s Treasury and Secret Archives.
From 1534 to 1549, Pope Paul III Farnese wanted to add two more floors to the areas where people lived. Artists from the Raphael school painted frescoes on these floors.
Also, you can’t miss the beautiful Cortile dell’Angelo, which was built to show off art and give people access to private apartments. Here you can see the statue of San Michele Arcangelo, which was made by Raffaello da Montelupo in 1544 and used to be on top of the building.
Lovely fortress or dreadful prison?
But the castle was also a very strict prison, as well as a tomb and a beautiful fortress.
The so-called Historical Prisons are a series of underground rooms that were probably built or expanded by Pope Alexander VI Borgia. They held many famous people, like Benvenuto Cellini, who seems to have complained a lot about the darkness, tarantulas, and poisonous worms in his cell!
If a prisoner was found guilty of the crime they were being held for after being tried in the Hall of Justice, they were often put to death in the Cortile delle Fucilazioni or in the square in front of the castle.
Beatrice Cenci was a Roman girl from a good family. She, her stepmother, and two of her brothers killed their father with the help of two assassins. Her father was a horrible, violent man, but he was very powerful and was never punished because of this.
On the morning of September 11, 1599, she was beheaded right here in front of a square full of people. Caravaggio seems to have been there because he was so upset by the sight of her being beheaded.
The Angel Terrace, which is at the top of the castle, is known for its ice skating rink in the winter. Peter Anton Verschaffelt made this bronze statue of an angel in 1752 at the request of Pope Benedict XIV for the Jubilee of 1750.
From the terrace, you can see one of the most beautiful and evocative views of the whole city: the scene of the famous “Girandole,” as Michelangelo called them, fireworks that have been known throughout Europe since the end of the fifteenth century and still light up the sky of Rome on the evening of June 29.
It is also the setting of the tragic work “La Tosca,” about a girl who throws herself into the void and kills herself when she learns that her beloved is
Castle of St. Angelo National Museum
Where: Castel Sant’Angelo, 50 Lungotevere Castello, Rome. Cost: 10 euros for adults, 5 euros for children. Reservations cost 1 euro, but entry is free on the first Sunday of every month. The museum is open from 9:30 am to 19:30 pm (closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day).