Castel San’tAngelo

Castel San't angelo is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. This fort was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and palace.

Roman Emperor Hadrian's tomb was erected on the banks of the Tiber between 130 AD and 139 AD. Originally the mausoleum was a decorated cylinder, with a garden top and golden quadriga. Hadrian's ashes were placed here a year after his death in Baiae in 138 AD, together with those of his wife Sabina, and his first Adopted son, Lucius Aelius, who also died in 138 AD. Following this, the remains of succeeding emperors were also placed here, the last recorded deposition being Caracalla in 217 AD

When the building was converted into a military fortress in 401 by Flavius ​​Augustu, most of the tomb contents and decoration has been lost. The urns and ashes were scattered by Visigothic looters during Alaric's sacking of Rome in 410, and the original decorative bronze and stone statuary were thrown down upon the attacking Goths when they besieged Rome in 537.

In the 14th century, Pope Nicholas III makes this building a palace. Not only that, a tailor-made passageway that connects Castel Sant'Angelo to St. Peter's Basilica. Street called the Borgo Passeto at Pope Clement VII had saved from looters brutal attack in 1527. After that, Pope Paul III makes this building into a kind of luxury apartments; to assure that the Pope got a decent place if there is another attack. 
In front of Castel Sant'Angelo, built a bridge that divides the river Tiber (called Ponte Sant'Angelo). It also began the construction of the bridge at the time of the emperor Hadrian. In a later development, the bridge is decorated with various statues of angels beautiful. In 1753 a statue of the Archangel Michael, the work of artist Peter Anton von Verschaffelt placed on top of the building. This replaces the previous statue sculpture (Raffaello works in Montelupo) are placed in the same place. Sculpture by Raffaello, now can we see in one of the rooms inside. This fort is now a witness to history that is still standing strong, witnesses from the turn of the various powers in roma.