The Bridge of the Holy Angel in Rome (Italy) has a very long history. Today, tourists are attracted by masterpiece statues of ten angels depicting the Passion of Christ. Over the years, the bridge, which has a sacred meaning, led to the tomb of the Roman emperor, a dungeon in which they imprisoned those objectionable to the Catholic clergy, the papal residence, and the treasury. Currently, the Castle of the Angels is a museum.
Roman bridges over the Tiber River
Roman civilization was founded in the eighth century BC on the east bank of the Tiber. Goods were transported along the river, food was sought in it, it served as a border line between the warring Latins and Etruscans. The first crossings were in that part of the stream where it was relatively calm, that is, lower than the island of Tiberin. Here they built a pile bridge made of wood without the use of iron and nails. Approximately in this place now stands the Sublicio bridge. The first bridge was built during the reign of the fourth ancient RomanKing Anka Marcius. For various reasons, the Sublicio in Rome was repeatedly destroyed, but over and over again it was restored.
The first bridges over the Tiber were built so that structures could be easily destroyed or set on fire when the enemy approached. After all, it was quite difficult to cross the fast river. The first stone bridge on wooden piles was built here in 179 BC, and in 142 the wooden piles were replaced with stone arches. In 109, the Milvius Bridge was built, through which many winners of major wars and conquerors entered the capital, including Gaius Julius Caesar and Charles I the Great. In general, there were four types of bridges in Rome: private - for carts and people passing through the city on their way to somewhere else, supporting aqueducts and public. The Angel Bridge in Rome, Italy is of the latter type.
Construction of an architectural landmark
The Bridge of Angels in Rome begins its history from the time of the Roman emperor Aelius Hadrian, who was no stranger to self-love (like all Roman rulers). With enough resources, he expressed his narcissism through the construction of majestic buildings, one of which was the mausoleum, erected on the banks of the Tiber on his orders. So that admiring subjects could worship the god-like king, a bridge was built leading to the mausoleum of Hadrian (now the castle of the Holy Angel) from the Field of Mars. The end of construction dates back to 134.
Design features and materials
The main building material thatwas used in the construction of the Angel Bridge (a part of the structure is visible in the photo above), - travertine on the outside and tuff on the inside. Dense limestone was more durable and less porous than tuff. It was not possible to completely build a bridge from travertine, because this material is more expensive and heavier. The work would have been significantly delayed, and much more funds would have been required.
No evidence of how exactly the Angel Bridge was built in Italy during the time of Aelius Hadrian has survived. It is clear that the workers used the standard stone bridge building methods used in the second century. Where the installation of supports was planned, rings were made from poles coated with clay. These are caissons for underwater work. After that, recesses were made in the bottom of the river for foundations. Usually they dug until they reached a certain layer of soil, and when this was not possible for some reason, they simply drove in wooden poles. Wooden bases can be surprisingly reliable and durable enough, because without oxygen, pathogenic bacteria cannot survive and reproduce.
Diamond-shaped water protection drums, the angle of which is directed against the current, were installed to reduce its destructive power. The water flowed more smoothly around the pillars of the structure. The arches were assembled from trapezoidal stone. The whole structure was very unstable until all the stones were installed (upper, that is, the largest), so complex scaffolding was actively used throughout the construction period. In those places where the arches reached the banks, they builtentire walls or large columns capable of withstanding such considerable pressure. In this case, it was two 12-meter walls.
The cost of construction and the monumentality of the bridge
Construction cost the emperor dearly, because many skilled workers were required. The Ponte Sant'Angelo (Italy) was built without cement, so the stones had to be ground so that they fit perfectly together. The construction of scaffolding was also not an easy task. The materials themselves and their transportation to the place where the monument was erected were very expensive. When construction was completed, the length of the bridge was 90 meters. The Bridge of the Angels consists of five arches with a diameter of nine meters.
Further history of the monument
The Bridge of the Holy Angel in Rome, Italy was mentioned in the "Hell" part of Dante's "Divine Comedy", which was written between 1308 and 1320. Two endless streams of pilgrims are described who walked along the bridge in the first Jubilee year (1300) in history to the holy city - the Vatican. By the early Middle Ages, the real name of the bridge - Elia - was forgotten. Pilgrims who, after the collapse of the Victor Emmanuel II Bridge (then called Nero's Bridge), walked along this structure to St. Peter's Basilica, began to call it St. Peter's Bridge.
In the middle of the 15th century, when the charioteer lost control of the horse in the crowd of pilgrims striving to the Vatican, panic broke out. People pushed through the balustrade. Nearly 200 people fell off the bridge and drowned. As a result of the ensuing riots, several houseswere destroyed, and the arch that blocked the path to the bridge was also damaged. In the second half of the same century, on the left side of the bridge, the bodies of those who were executed in the neighboring square were put on display for the townspeople.
Statues of Angels depicting the Passion of Christ
The Bridge of the Holy Angel in Rome acquired the first two statues in 1535. The sculptures were commissioned by Pope Clement VII. The sculptor Lorenzetto received an order for the statue of the Apostle Peter holding a book in his hands, Paolo Romano - the Apostle Peter holding a book and a broken sword. Under Pope Paul III, Raffaello da Montelupo created four more statues, as well as sculptures of Abraham, Adam, Noah and Moses. In 1669, by order of Pope Clement IX, the crumbling plaster sculptures were replaced with new ones. This work was entrusted to Lorenzo Bernini, for whom she was one of the last. According to his project, all ten sculptures were supposed to hold the instruments of the Passion of Christ. The sculptor managed to make only two statues, which Clement IX took to his personal collection.
The sacred meaning of the sights
It has been repeatedly mentioned that on the bridge of the Holy Angel in Rome, believers crossed the Tiber on the way to the main Catholic attraction, namely, St. Peter's Basilica. To cross the river on this bridge meant to go from the mundane city to the Holy City. This segment of the path had for believers the symbolic meaning of purification, bringing the sinner closer to the divine world. The Bridge of the Holy Angel symbolizes the communion of man with God. So, it is not surprising that the attractionare decorated with statues of angels, who are mediators between the earthly and heavenly worlds. The statues of Peter and Paul, which meet travelers, are not accidental. They mark the beginning of redemption.
Ten angel statues
The Bridge of Angels is decorated with ten statues of angels, whose figures represent the Passion of Christ. The faces seem now holding back sobs out of compassion for the Savior, now pacified by faith in the resurrection. The sculptor Bernini owns an angel in whose hands is a crown of thorns, and one that holds a tablet with the inscription Inri. The master entrusted work on other sculptures to his like-minded people. In 1670, the works of Bernini himself, due to their high artistic value, were replaced by copies. The originals adorn the Church of San Andrea delle Fratte.
The first angel lifts the column to which Christ was tied during the interrogation of Pontius Pilate. This sculpture was created by Antonio Raggi. Raota by Lazzaro Morelli sadly looks at the whips, which are reminiscent of the wounds of the Savior. The angel, created by Paolo Naldini, holds a crown of thorns as a symbol of human life. The face of Christ, imprinted with blood on the board of Veronica, is examined by an angel made by Cosimo Fancelli. Sculpture carved by Paolo Naldini holding dice on Christ's robe.
Sculpture by Girolamo Lucenti shows the nails that pierced the hands and feet of the Savior. The next angel is holding a cross - a symbol of faith in Christ and the crucifixion. This sculpture was created by Ercole Ferrata. The tablet with the inscription Inri is held by the next angel. Scuptura by Antonio Giorgetti looking at a sponge attached to the end of a cane. The last angel was carved from stone by Domenico Giuli. The angel turns his gaze to the tip of the spear to remind him of the blow that pierced the Savior's chest.
Modern appearance of the bridge
The Bridge of the Angels in Rome has been repeatedly rebuilt and new details added. The monument underwent several large-scale modernizations during the Renaissance. In 1450, the triumphal arch was demolished, instead of which the figures of the apostles Peter and Paul were placed. In 1669, the bridge was decorated with figures of angels, which today attract crowds of tourists from all over the world. This sculptural group was wittily nicknamed by the locals as maniacs in the wind, because the angels are holding objects of execution and reviling of Christ in their hands. The Bridge of the Holy Angel is a pedestrian zone, so nothing will stop tourists from walking slowly along it and seeing all the masterpiece figures.
Castle (mausoleum, prison and museum) in Rome
The Bridge of the Holy Angel leads to the castle on the other side of the river. The last refuge of the Roman emperor, the residence of the pontiffs, which managed to visit a fort and a dungeon, eventually received the status of a museum and treasury. Tomb of Hadrian by the 14th century became the residence of the popes, and Nicholas III connected the castle with the basilica. During the invasion of Charles V, Pope Clement VII found protection in the walls of the castle. The Dominican friar Giordano Bruno was imprisoned in the castle. In 1901, Castel Sant'Angelo was declared a museum. Today this place wish to visit sony tourists. You can see the sights by walking alongBridge of the Holy Angel.
How to get to the attraction
To find the bridge of the Holy Angel, you should focus on the castle, located east of Peter's Square. Walking from one attraction to another will take a maximum of five minutes. City bus No. 271 or No. 6 will bring you to the foot of the castle. You need to get off at the Piazza Pia stop. The nearest metro station is called Ottaviano-San-Pitro (line A). The bridge is open 24/7 and no tolls are required.
Some interesting facts
The bridge changed its name several times. The bridge of the Holy Angel received its modern name only thanks to a widespread legend about how in the sixth century Rome simply died from the plague. It is believed that then the archangel Michael appeared on the top of the mausoleum on the other side of the river with a sword in his hands. Pope Gregory I regarded this as a sign of the imminent end of the trouble. After this event, the structure, which remained from the time of Ancient Rome, was renamed the Castle of the Holy Angel, and the bridge leading to it was renamed the Bridge of the Holy Angel, respectively. Later, a huge statue of the savior Archangel Michael was installed on the roof of the mausoleum.
Famous prisoners of the castle, to which the bridge leads
Since the 14th century, the castle, to which the Angels Bridge in Rome leads (photo in the article), the former mausoleum of the Roman emperor, served as a prison for special criminals. Over the years, the prisoners of the castle were Giovanni Battista Orsini, Benvenuto Cellini, Beatrice Cenci, Giuseppe Balsamo and others.
A cardinal who belonged toone of the we althiest Roman families, Giovanni Battista Orsini was accused of conspiring against the pope and attempting to send. The family tried to ransom the prisoner, but Pope Alexander VI poisoned the prisoner (although he accepted a huge pearl as a gift).
Sculptor and jeweler who participated in the siege of the fortress in 1527, Benvenuto Cellini was accused of theft. Cellini thoroughly knew the location of the corridors and rooms of the castle, which allowed him to escape. By the way, this is the only escape in the history of the castle.
Young Beatrice Cenci was the victim of intrigues. Accused of killing her own father, who repeatedly raped the girl, she was executed in 1599. The Pope refused to commute the sentence. It is believed that the refusal was due to the fact that after the death of the direct heiress, the entire huge family fortune passed in favor of the Holy See.
Count Cagliostro (also known as Giuseppe Balsamo) was arrested in 1789. This is a well-known adventurer and swindler. Serious charges were brought against him, namely Freemasonry and blasphemy. The death pen alty, however, was replaced by a pardon. Giuseppe Balsamo was imprisoned in the Tuscan province of Emilia Romagna, where he spent the rest of his days.
