Catholic Pilgrims in Rome: Castel Sant'Angelo

On Tuesday, we visited the amazing Castel Sant'Angelo!

With its unmistakeable cylindrical contour and particularly scenic position along the shore of the Tiber River, Castel Sant'Angelo is one of the town's most famous landmarks. Its appearance today is the result of a long series of transformations that, in reality, have left no traces of the glorious mausoleum that Emperor Hadrian built for himself and his successors.

But in medieval times, the mausoleum changed its function as an imperial tomb. Towers and defensive walls were erected during the reign of the Emperor Aurelian and a defensive bastion was built during the barbaric invasions.

By the Middle Ages, Castel Sant'Angelo had been transformed into a practically unassailable fortress in a particularly strategic position that defended the northern entrance of the city.

The popes also commissioned the construction of a covered fortified corridor connected to the Vatican Palaces, which was to be used in the event of danger as an extreme escape route. Castel Sant'Angelo also guarded the riches of the popes: the treasury room in the center of the fort was a kind of safe for Rome during the Renaissance. The castle was also used to store enormous reserves of food, which were to be used in the event of an attack. There were wineskins set in the walls, enormous water tanks, granaries and even a mill.

Today the castle is visited by tourists from all over the world and is home to the National Museum of Castel Sant'Angelo. A very dear landmark of the town is the statue of Archangel St. Michael, high up on the enormous terrace, from which the castle takes its name. It was created in memory of an ancient legend that speaks of the terrible plague that struck Rome in 590 AD, which ended thanks to the apparition of an angel that appeared above the castle and conceded grace to the town when he sheathed his sword.

Here are some photos. Below I'm standing in front of a statue of the great St. Michael the Archangel! This is not the statue on top of the entire Castel Sant'Angelo. See below for photo.

Here's the Ponte Sant'Angelo (bridge leading up to the castle).

The ten statues of angels that adorn the bridge were designed in 1668 by the great sculptor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, on the order of pope Clement IX and created by Bernini and his students. The angels all hold a symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus, such as a crown of thorns, a whip, and so on.

Two of the statues were created by Bernini himself: the angel holding the Crown of Thorns and the angel holding the INRI sign.

At the south end of the bridge stand two more statues, of the apostles Peter and Paul. They were installed here in 1534. The statue of Peter was created by Lorenzetto; the statue of Paul is the work of Paolo Taccone.