Corner La Trin: Castle St. Angelo

Castle St. Angelo was originally known as the Mausoleo Adriano or Hadrian's Mausoleum. It was built in around 123AD as a sepulcher for Emperor Hadrian and his family.

The castle acquired its current name in 590 AD when Rome was afflicted by a severe plague. To pray for the end of the plague, a solemn procession was organized in which Pope Gregory I participated. When the procession neared the castle, the pope had a vision of Archangel Michael, who was sheathing his sword. The vision was interpreted as a celestial sign foretelling of the imminent end to the epidemic; an interpretation which later proved accurate!! From that time onwards, the Romans began calling the mausoleum Castel Sant' Angelo. A sculpture of an angel sheathing his sword was later placed on the castle's highest terrace.

The castle was modified radically many times throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period. With the passing of the centuries, this castle has been transformed from a funeral monument into a fortified castle, a dark & terrible jail, a splendid renaissance residence for Popes, a prison of the resurgence and finally today, a museum that we can visit!

We walked into the castle and began exploring. We walked up the round ramp that wound its way through the centre of the castle. It finished in a little chamber, leading onto the hall of urns. We walked into it and saw the burial place for Empeor Hadrian & his family. It led out to a large courtyard, the courtyard Alexander VI, and catapults, along with stone balls, were lined up against the wall. There was a well against the wall, made of stone, and stairs leading up to the next level. We visited some of the rooms that lead off the courtyard.

The rooms were full of art and frescoes. Sketches, paintings, tapestries and sculptures. We walked from room to room, admiring all the artwork. There were lots of other rooms too. Like the bathroom of Clement VII, the treasury and the libraries of the Popes, and a historical prison. We wandered through all of them, admiring the frescoes and the ornate decorations. We lumbered back out and climbed the stairs to the terrace. The topmost level of the fort offered sensational views of Rome and what lay beyond. Apartments, streets, the river and churches. The Colosseum, the Vatican and everything else.

The descent down to the ramparts was long. We were rather high up. But when we got down, it was a lot of fun. The towers held weaponries, full of canons and stone spheres. There was a sentry box too. I went and stood in it, pretending to be a soldier of ancient times. It was so cool.

Castle Sant' Angelo was an amazing place. You could spend a week in there and still not see everything. It truly was an incredible place.

At Ponte Sant' Angelo which links to Castle Sant' Angelo