The Eternal City of Rome contains some of the best architectural marvels in the world. Castel Sant’Angelo is one of these marvels without a doubt. Standing near the river Tiber, the third largest river in Italy, in the Parco Adriano, this rotunda was home to the remains of some Roman emperors, but later turned into a fortress and then a prison. Today, Castel Sant’Angelo is a museum and one of the most popular and important places remaining from Ancient Roman times.

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While the construction of the tomb took 5 years, a year after his death, Hadrian’s ashes were moved to Castel Sant’Angelo. Moreover, the tomb also contained the ashes of his wife and son after they died as well. This quickly became a tradition among the Roman emperors and continued until the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths. While they were sacking Rome, the Visigoths looted the tomb and scattered the ashes of the emperors into the streets.
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In the following centuries, the mausoleum became a papal fortress. In the 16th century, when the Austrians sacked Rome, it is believed that the Pope hid in a corridor that connected the fortress to the St. Peter’s Basilica. Additionally, Castel Sant’Angelo was also a prison for criminals with heavy sentences. Although it was a custom to pardon all prisoners in Rome after the death of a Pope, the prisoners in Sant’Angelo would never receive any pardons.

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