Bridge of Angels

Also known as Bridge of Castel Sant’Angelo, the Bridge of Angels connects Piazza di Ponte Sant’Angelo with the Vatican City Area.
The bridge was built in 134 AD by Emperor Hadrian to connect his Mausoleum, today known as Castel Sant’Angelo, with the opposite bank of the Tiber. Today the bridge is named after the castle that features on top a bronze statue of Archangel Michael, who appeared in vision to Pope Gregory I. During the Jubilee of 1450 the balustrade of the bridge collapsed under the weight of the pilgrims. 172 people died.

The Statues

The beautiful statues of the Angels were added only later. In 1669 Pope Clement IX commissioned Bernini the construction of a new railing that was adorned with 10 beautiful statues of Angels carrying the instruments of passion. The statues were sculpted by Bernini followers under his direction.

Bernini sculpted two statues himself: the one of the Angel holding the Crown of Thorns and the Angel holding the INRI sign. However, the original works were moved and replaced with copies carried out by his students. The original sculptures are houses inside the Church of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte in the Spanish Steps Area.

Among the beautiful statues you can also see the apostles Peter and Paul, respectively designed by Lorenzetto and Paolo Taccone. The two statues replaced two earlier chapels built to commemorate the accident of 1450 above mentioned.