The Castel Sant'Angelo, formerly known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian, is a large cylindrical building that towers over Rome. Commissioned by Hadrian as a tomb for himself and his family, it was converted into a castle and fortress used by the Papal States, and is now a museum.
History[]
Built between 135 and 139, as the tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian, the castel was designed to be slightly larger than the Mausoleum of Augustus. The building was converted into a military fortress in 401 and was promptly sacked by Visigoth looters in 410, who scattered Hadrian's ashes everywhere. What was left was recycled, stolen by the Vatican. In the 14th century, the tomb was converted into a castle for the popes and connected to St. Peter's Basilica via a covered passage called the Passetto di Borgo. Reflecting the sadistic side of Renaissance papal rule, the castle contained both sumptuous apartments and a prison. Giordano Bruno, the famous scientist and Hermetecist, was held there for six years. Executions were carried out in the small interior courtyard for the Pope's enjoyment.