Today I’m sharing another postcard that my sister-in-law passed along (you can see the one of Boston’s Old State House here). This one features Castel Sant’Angelo (Castle of the Holy Angel), a historical building in Rome that I knew nothing about until I began digging about online. Here’s what I’ve learned. (I came across some conflicting dates, so if you have more accurate information let me know!)
Timeline
- Commissioned by Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for him and his family
- 123? 134 – 139? Original building erected
- 217 Last Roman Emperor buried there
- 401 Converted to a military fortress as part of the Aurelian Walls
- 410 Urns and ashes scattered when the Visigoths sacked Rome
- 537 Decorative statuary thrown down when the Goths besieged Rome
- 1277 Pope Nicholas II connected the castle to the Vatican by an elevated fortified corridor called the Passetto di Borgo
- 1367 Pope Urban V turned the castle into the Popes’ residence
- 1527 Pope Clement VII took refuge there during another sacking of Rome (this time by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V)
- 1536 Raffaello da Montelupo created a statue of Saint Michael to surmount the castle
- 1628 Popes’ residence demolished to make way for fortifications
- 17th century The castle became a prison; executions were performed in the inner courtyard
- 1901 Military use ended and restoration began
- 1925 The castle became a museum, Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo (It has excellent reviews on Trip Advisor!)
Interesting Facts
- Also called Hadrianeum or Sepulcrum Antoninorum
- The name Castel Sant’Angelo comes from the legend that the Archangel Michael appeared over the building at the end of a season of plague in 590
- It was once the tallest building in Rome
- In Puccini’s opera Tosca the heroine leaps to her death from the castle’s ramparts.
First Person Account
Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) was an Italian goldsmith who wrote a famous autobiography. According to translator George Bull, “Despite its egotism and bias, it gives us the most vivid and convincing account we have of the rulers of the sixteenth century and of the manners and morals of their subject.”
Cellini was in Rome when Charles V attacked in 1527. Here’s part of his account:
“Then we retired, going through the Campo Santo , making our way through St Peter’s, and then coming out behind the church of Sant’Angelo. We were hard put to get to the gate of the castle, as Rienzo da Ceri and Orazio Baglioni were busy wounding or killing everyone who fled from the fight at the walls. By the time we arrived at the gate some of the enemy had broken into Rome and were at our heels. However, as the castellan wanted to drop the portcullis he cleared a way, and the four of us were able to push on inside.
…
“So there I was in the castle. I went up to some guns that were in charge of a bombardier called Guiliano the Florentine. He was staring out over the battlements to where his poor house was being sacked and his wife and children outraged. He dared not fire in case he harmed his own family, and flinging his fuse on the ground he started tearing at his face and sobbing bitterly. Other bombardiers were doing the same.
“When I saw this I seized one of the fuses, got help from some of the men who were not in such a sorry state, and lined up some heavy pieces of artillery and falconets, firing them where I saw the need. In this way I slaughtered a great number of the enemy. If I had not done so the troops who had broken into Rome that morning would have made straight for the castle and could easily have entered, as the artillery was not in action. I continued firing, with an accompaniment of blessings and cheers from a number of cardinals and noblemen. Inspired by this, I forced myself to try and do the impossible. Anyhow, all I need say is that it was through me that the castle was saved that morning and that those other bombardiers came back to their duty. I carried on with the work all day, and then evening approached.”
Whether or not Cellini actually saved the Castel Sant’Angelo singlehandedly, it’s interesting to read his first-person account of the siege.
Sources
- Castel Sant’Angelo on reidsitaly.com
- Castel Sant’Angelo on Wikipedia
- “The ups and downs of Castel Sant’Angelo, from tomb to Papal residence to political prison” by Andrea Carli
- The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini, translated and with an introduction by George Bull (Penguin, 1956)