Castel Sant’Angelo: a palimpsest of memories

A Tribute To Saint Paul

The Paolina Hall

Above the doors that lead to the Pauline Hall, there are some monochromatic depictions of the Life of Saint Paul, enclosed in round medallions. Here too, the selection of the theme is a direct reference to Alessandro Farnese, who adopted the regnal name Paul III. The scenes depicted present some of the most significant events in the history of Christianity, including the sacrifice at Lystra, the blinding of Elymas and Saint Paul’s martyrdom.

The Pope’s Bedroom

The room of Cupid and Psyche

The Room known as Room of Cupid and Psyche is the Pope’s bedroom. It owes its name to the frescoes which adorn the walls and the ceiling representing scenes from Greek mythology, most notably the tale of Cupid and Psyche from Apuleius’s novel “The Golden Ass”. It is the story of love between Cupid and a mortal girl, who is envied by Venus due to her impeccable beauty. Venus sends her son to trick her and make her fall in love with an ugly man, but Cupid falls in love with her instead. He takes Psyche to his castle and visits her when the night falls in secret. The girl is directed never to seek to see her lover’s face, but one night, as advised by her envious sisters, she lights a candle to discover his true identity. Thus, Venus tracks down the two lovers and punishes the poor girl. With a little help from Jupiter, who as we all know was very fond of forbidden love stories, Venus’ wrath was appeased and the couple lived happily together.

The Angel That Almost Made It

The statue of the angel

In 1544, Pope Paul III Farnese commissioned Raffaello da Montelupo to make a marble angel with bronze wings. This statue was not as unlucky as the previous and remained intact for approximately two centuries. Cardinal Costanzo Caracciolo persuaded Pope Benedict XIV Lambertini to replace the statue of Montelupo with the bronze statue standing atop the building to the present day. The former statue was moved to the Courtyard of Honor of Castel Sant’Angelo, where it is still situated until today.