This is the last in the series about the locations in Angels & Demons.
Time is running out when Langdon rushes to the Castel San't Angelo, an unmistakable Roman landmark.
He approaches the building from the Ponte Sant' Angelo (Bridge of the Holy Angel). It's one of Rome most beautiful bridges, lined with Bernini's marble angel sculptures.
In 1688, these 10 sculptures replaced a row of gallows that had decorated the bridge previously, and must have been a welcome change. However, since each angel holds an instrument of torture from the Passion of Christ, such as the crown of thorns, they are not exactly cheerful.
Bernini's angels have been dubbed his "Breezy Maniacs" because they all appear to be battling the wind with garments fluttering.
The Castel Sant'Angelo, originally a mausoleum, was built in 130 AD by Emperor Hadrian, who also built the bridge over the Tiber River that leads to it. The building served as a burial place for emperors for almost a century. In those times, the structure was covered in marble and topped with a mound of earth planted with cypress trees, decorated with statues, and crowned with a gilded statue of Hadrian driving his chariot.
When threats from barbarian invaders increased in the late days of the Roman Empire, Hadrian's Mausoleum was converted into a fortress and served an important role in the city's defenses.
By the 9th century, it was claimed by the papacy who remodeled and added to the fortress over many centuries. Its appearance today is that of a massive fortress on a square base with circular towers at the four corners (known as the towers of St. Matthew, St. John, St. Mark, and St. Luke) onto which a circular body has been grafted.
It's linked to the papal apartments in the Vatican by way of a covered passage known as the passetto. This escape route came in handy quite a few times when popes need to escape attackers.
The Castel Sant'Angelo got its name from Pope Gregory the Great who had a fiery vision of St. Michael the Archangel standing on top of the fortress sheathing his mighty sword. Gregory interpreted the vision to mean that the plague devastating the city would soon end, and named the castle in the angel's honor.
At various times, it has served as the Vatican's stronghold, prison, and even treasury. It contains everything from dank dungeons in the basement, to lavish living quarters on the upper floors. It's a rabbit's warren of rooms and corridors. Today it is a museum, open to the public for a small admission fee.
Although it's in Italian (and does not seem to have an English version), the Castle's official website offers a good virtual tour with lots of diagrams and photos. (If anyone can find this website in English, please let me know).
I hope you have enjoyed this series on the Roman locations in Angels & Demons. I skipped St Peter's because you can easily find more information than you ever wanted about that online and elsewhere.
I'd love to know if this series added to your enjoyment of the movie Angels & Demons.
