Castel Sant D'Angelo
Having passed Sant' Angelo Bridge, one is immediately confronted with the mighty structure of Castel Sant'Angelo. This fortress was started by Hadrian and was designed to serve as his family tomb. It was not until the Medieval period that this tomb received several additional structures, including the present-day ramparts and tower. Thus, the castle acquired a distinctly Medieval feel. Thoroughly transformed into a citadel, Castel Sant'Angelo is, however, organised around the old tomb of Hadrian, with the innermost walls being perfectly preserved and the Medieval bastions having remained intact. There are also several entrances remaining of the initial construction, as well as the original tower from Hadrian's era. The marble coating and the sumptuous sculptures, however, belong to a more recent epoque.
aThe site bears some distinct Renaissance features, the most prominent example of these being the arcade galleries. The site's diverse architectural trends still blend in into a consistent whole, with the core tower having once included a monument to Emperor Hadrian being currently dominated by the bronze statue of an angel. The outer yard is an addition from the 16th Century, with its former five bastions having given way to the present-day Piazza Pia. The two forts are divided by a ditch, now employed as a park, and planted with various trees. The cylindrical building, following a millenium-long life as a castle, has been transformed into a museum in the 20th Century.
Hadrian commissioned the construction of his tomb somethime in the 2nd Century. The structure was initially conceived as a cylinder, which was to incorporate various decorations and was to be topped with a garden. The Emperor was, indeed, buried on the site, which also became the resting place of his wife and son, Lucius Aelius. The tradition of burying Roman Emperors here was continued until 217, with the tomb's Treasury Room becoming literally packed with urns containing royal ashes. Pons Aelius, which is also part of the edifice, was another structure commenced by Hadrian, and substantially rebuilt after the Medieval period. It now has various Baroque ornaments, including several sculptures and depictions of the Passion of Christ.
The tomb's interiors have supposedly been richly frescoed and decorated. Sadly, these have been lost to a great extent. As the structure was converted into a military fortress in the 5th Century, and was incorporated into the Aurelian Walls, the urns with ashes of important emperors were lost for good, and following a foreign raid, most of the bronze and marble sculptures were looted. Among the few surviving articles from these raids is the cap of a funerary urn, which has been found in the Basilica of Saint Peter.
During the Middle Ages, the site was converted into a castle. Back in the 14th Century, Pope Nicholas III connected it to the Basilica of St Peter via a covered arcade dubbed Passetto di Borgo. The castle served as a sanctuary for Pope Clement VII during the siege of Charles V in 1527. Almost a decade later, in 1536, Raffaello da Montelupo installed one of his fine depictions of a Madonna in one of the chapels, also constributing to the site with a statue of St Michael. Montelupo's mastepiece was replaced by a bronze statue by Flemish sculptor Peter Anton von Verschaffelt in 1753, while Montelupo's piece was relocated to the inner court. Sant'Angelo was further employed as a museum and as a prison, with the inner square used as an execution yard
aThe site bears some distinct Renaissance features, the most prominent example of these being the arcade galleries. The site's diverse architectural trends still blend in into a consistent whole, with the core tower having once included a monument to Emperor Hadrian being currently dominated by the bronze statue of an angel. The outer yard is an addition from the 16th Century, with its former five bastions having given way to the present-day Piazza Pia. The two forts are divided by a ditch, now employed as a park, and planted with various trees. The cylindrical building, following a millenium-long life as a castle, has been transformed into a museum in the 20th Century.
Hadrian commissioned the construction of his tomb somethime in the 2nd Century. The structure was initially conceived as a cylinder, which was to incorporate various decorations and was to be topped with a garden. The Emperor was, indeed, buried on the site, which also became the resting place of his wife and son, Lucius Aelius. The tradition of burying Roman Emperors here was continued until 217, with the tomb's Treasury Room becoming literally packed with urns containing royal ashes. Pons Aelius, which is also part of the edifice, was another structure commenced by Hadrian, and substantially rebuilt after the Medieval period. It now has various Baroque ornaments, including several sculptures and depictions of the Passion of Christ.
The tomb's interiors have supposedly been richly frescoed and decorated. Sadly, these have been lost to a great extent. As the structure was converted into a military fortress in the 5th Century, and was incorporated into the Aurelian Walls, the urns with ashes of important emperors were lost for good, and following a foreign raid, most of the bronze and marble sculptures were looted. Among the few surviving articles from these raids is the cap of a funerary urn, which has been found in the Basilica of Saint Peter.
During the Middle Ages, the site was converted into a castle. Back in the 14th Century, Pope Nicholas III connected it to the Basilica of St Peter via a covered arcade dubbed Passetto di Borgo. The castle served as a sanctuary for Pope Clement VII during the siege of Charles V in 1527. Almost a decade later, in 1536, Raffaello da Montelupo installed one of his fine depictions of a Madonna in one of the chapels, also constributing to the site with a statue of St Michael. Montelupo's mastepiece was replaced by a bronze statue by Flemish sculptor Peter Anton von Verschaffelt in 1753, while Montelupo's piece was relocated to the inner court. Sant'Angelo was further employed as a museum and as a prison, with the inner square used as an execution yard
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