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Castel Sant'Angelo

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KJP
KJP
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4 out of 5
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Editor Pick

The Castle of An Angel?

  • October 16, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Absy_Baby from Radlett, United Kingdom
To many of you who have visited Rome you may well have been in Castel S'Angelo, or may have been past it on the way to the Vatican, however those who have not been to Rome, but have read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, or seen the film, may recognise the name and perhaps the building itself.

I recently visited Rome, after having read the Dan Brown book and seeing the film, and I must admit, as much as I am a culture, history buff, I perhaps wouldn't have visited this very outrageous building had it not been for the large emphasis put on it by Dan Brown. Basically I was intrigued to see the Church of Illumination, in the flesh.

Castel S'Angelo is located approximately a 5 minute walk from the Vatican City, and is actually on the river Tiber, and if you are en route to the Vatican from the East you will either walk by or drive by it (all the coaches/buses go past it). The Castel S'Angelo Bridge leads straight up to it, and gives you a great impression of the size.

The building itself was originally built as a dynasty tomb then converted in to a fortress (well suited due to the shape), finally becoming a papal residence after being noble dwellings, barracks, and a prison.

Now it stands as a cultural monument and museum which is open to the public. It costs 7 Euros but is free if you have a Roma Pass and it is one of the first 2 places you enter, if it is the third or so on, you can enter using the Roma Pass at a reduced price.

You can also hire the personalised tour guide which is computerised and tells you the history of the building. These are very popular throughout Rome attractions and at this one cost 4 Euros each, I suggest you buy one and share.

When you go through the ground outer entrance you find yourself within the wall of the grounds but not in the building, if you turn to your left you find the ticket station and entrance barriers, once admission is paid you can enter. There are toilets just inside the ticket entrance.

You can walk around the edge of the building within the walls, but not the whole 360 degrees. On entering, it is dark, you walk up some steps and enter a fairly large chamber called the Sepulchral Chamber. Inside is quote dark, although there are lights and windows around. It is also a nice break from the intense heat outside and due to the limited light and the stone walls it is very cool.

In the Sepulchural Chamber there is a hollow niche in the back wall which historians think was intended to hold a statue of Hadrian.

To the right there is a ramp which leads to the Mortuary Chamber, which is the heart of the building. Historians say the Chamber was originally all white marble containing the urns of Hadrian and his wife.

The ramp leads up to the middle of the building, it is long and curved around the central part of the building, going round and around. It is quite wide and goes on, around perhaps 3 storeys. When you reach the top of the ramp, you come out to another square chamber and then to the left there are stairs that lead up and out of the darkness.

The terrace is lovely and circles the entire building with great views of the city of Rome and the Vatican. There is toilets up here as well as a terrace restaurant, which looked a little expensive but very quaint and lovely, with tables scattered out on the terrace with vines and flowers overhead and around.

The terrace does have quite large window spaces for those who want to enjoy the view and those who want to take some pictures.

You can enter a stair case and go higher, which leads to the top of the building, another terrace but a large square one, which more great views, there is nothing else up here though. There is a stair case up one side, and one going down the other.

Above your head you can see very closely the statue of Archangel St. Michael, overlooking the terrace and castle in which the name originates from. The statue was created in memory of an ancient legend that if history be told correctly talks 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.

The statue is actually quite large, and you can see him from very far away. When up close it is quite intimidating seeing the scale of him. This is the final pointer to the church of illumination, in which the angel is in fact pointing below to the Castel S'Angelo in the Dan Brown story.

Castel S'Angelo has probably become more famous since Dan Browns intervention especially as the Corridoio or Passetto features quite importantly in the Angels and Demons story, this is due to the fact it is the fortified passageway linking the Vatican City to the castle. It is reserved for the Pope, if his escape from the Vatican is required. It is not open to the public, but can be seen like an old fashioned castle wall running between the Castel S'Angelo and the Vatican City.

I really enjoyed the building, mainly because a lot of the ruins in Rome are very samey but the architecture is quite unique at Castel S'Angelo although the round shape does remind me of the Pantheon.

From journal When In Room

Editor Pick

Castel Sant'Angelo

  • May 18, 2007
  • Rated 3 of 5 by paolo1899 from Naples, Italy
Castel Sant'Angelo

It rises close to Victor Emmanuel II bridge in Lungotevere castello. Originally, it was much different from today's. Under Emperor Aurelian, it was strongly fortified and, in the 11th century, a tower was added In 1277, it was occupied by the pope who added to it some apartments. The actual name has its roots in an old legend on the bronze 18th century angel statue, telling that during the dreadful pestilence of 590 A.D., an angel appeared sheathing his sword as a sign of granted grace.
It was used as shelter for popes and a jail.
To make it safer, in 1277, it was joined to the Vatican by the famous Passetto.
This long fortified passageway allowed the pope to walk safely from the Vatican to Castel Sant'Angelo. Today, it is a museum, and there are collections of weapons and documents about the history of the castle.
All rooms can be visited, from the jail to the pope's apartments, and all the rooms are fully adorned. The ticket cost €5 and the site is open from 9am until late.

From journal Visit to the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome

Editor Pick

Castel Sant'Angelo

  • September 16, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by KJP from Dallas, Texas
Castel Sant'Angelo

It’s Vatican day for our traveling party of six, but first, a brief diversion across the Tiber just minutes from our hotel to the Castel Sant’Angelo.

According to legend, the castle got its name during the plague of 590, when Pope Gregory the Great had a vision of an angel sheathing his sword atop the structure’s stone ramparts, said to be a sign of granted grace. The plague would run its course shortly thereafter, but not before half the population of Europe had perished.

Built along the banks of the Tiber at the behest of the Emperor Hadrian (117-138) as a mausoleum for himself and Roman Emperors that would follow, the original incarnation of Castel Sant’Angelo was completed in 139 by his successor, Antoninus Pius, and was linked to the Tiber’s south banks by the Pons Aelius, known today as the Ponte Sant’Angelo. In 271, the castle was annexed into a defense system designed by Aurelian, transforming the site from tomb to fortress.

The cylindrical fortress sits atop an immense square base. Circular towers at each corner bear the names of Saints Matthew, John, Mark, and Luke. Inside, three huge halls that once housed the imperial tombs are stacked one atop the other. The rooftop terrace, open to visitors, offers terrific views of the city and is dominated by the bronze statue of the Archangel Michael by Flemish sculptor Peiter Antoon Versschaffelt, added in 1752.

Today, the structure houses the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo and its collections of Renaissance paintings, ceramics, and antique military weaponry. Visitors ascend through the famous spiral ramp that winds its way for nearly 400 feet. The castle whispers clues of its checkered past as we navigate its labrynth of stairs, dank cells, narrow hallways, inner courtyards, frescoed great halls, and papal apartments.

For nearly 1,000 years, it served as a refuge for popes when they were under seige. In 1277, Nicholas II constructed il Passetto, an arcaded passageway linking it to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Cathedral. Luxurious papal apartments were added in Renaissance times. During Italy’s Risorgimento period in the mid-19th century, political prisioners were held here.

The bridge’s parapets collapsed in the mid-15th century, and its present layout, complete with spectacular statues flanking each side, was completed under the direction of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. An etching by the famous Italian engraver Giovanni Battista Piranesi shows the castle prior to restorations begun late in the 19th century, which resulted in its current configuration. Additional restorations to the moats and bastions occurred in the mid-1930s.

Some might categorize the Castel Sant’Angelo as a second-tier attraction behind the Colosseum, the Forum, Vatican City, the Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. Nonetheless, its unique place in Rome’s history, coupled with the museum and scenic views afforded by the upper terrace, make this a site most won’t want to miss. In addition, from late June through mid-August, Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage sponsors a series of live performances, held nightly in this unique setting.
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