Hadrian Mausoleum Exterior |
Hadrian
Mausoleum also known as Castel Sant'Angelo was built in Rome, Italy by the Roman Emperor at the
time, Hadrian. In 138 AD Emperor Hadrian pass away and the build was finished
by his adopted son Antoninus
Pius who eventually also became the next Emperor in line, in 139AD. The
reason for the change in name is based on an old legend where it depicts the
Archangel Michael being seen on top of the Mausoleum in the year 590. Him being
there was a sign to show that the plague (the Justinian plague) that was upon
Rome at the time was over. Today the statue is place on top of the Mausoleum
and that statue is made out of bronze while the original statue was made out of
marble and was placed in the courtyard inside the Mausoleum.
Statue Of Archangel Michael |
The Hadrian Mausoleum served as a fortress,
refuge, mausoleums, and a prison. Over time the Mausoleum was used also for the
Pope protection in a time of crisis, each Pope who was in charge improved the
structure and decorated the exterior. It was Pope Nicholas III who came up with
the idea of creating a secret underground tunnel from The Vatican to the
Mausoleum. The building also houses many paintings and pottery from the
Renaissance as well as antique military weapons. It also became a museum that
served as a way to document the history of Rome and the church.
Starting for the
bridge it was strategically built to connect to the center of Rome and also it
was close to the Vatican. The bridge had twelve statues, as you walk towards
the Mausoleum, ten of them being angels. One angel holds the cross in which
Christ carried. Another is holding the column that Christ was tied to. The
third angel holds the nail that was put in Christ. Fourth Angel holds the
sponge that was on a stick that was used on Christ. The Fifth angel holds the
spear that was use on Christ. Sixth hold the crown made of thorns. Another
holds the wipe. Another looks at Christ with pity and the final angel holds the
garments of Christ. The other two
statues is St. Peter holding the Keys to Heaven and St. Paul holding a broken
sword. All of these statues were placed around the Middle age and were design
by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. A huge low wall encloses the building, but before
there were marble columns in the exterior that was later tore down by many
invasions that happen to the Mausoleum. Because of this reason the Mausoleum
was transformed to a fortress; just like the city of Rome changed so did the
building. The main entrance has a dedicatory inscription with other inscriptions
being disposed on each side of the door.
To get to the top of the Mausoleum you
walk up a spiral like corridor in how I like to describe like Frank Lloyd
Wright Guggenheim except your not doing six revolutions, but just one. The Hadrian
Mausoleum is to be said to have a beautiful view of Rome when you get to the
top.
Hadrian Mausoleum Section |
[2]http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/Mausoleum_Hadriani.html
[3]Spagnesi, Piero. Castel Sant'Angelo: La Fortezza Di Roma: Momenti Della Vicenda Architettonica Da Alessandro VI a Vittorio Emanuele III (1494-1911). Roma: Fratelli Palombi, 1995. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment