Ponte Sant'Angelo

This old bridge is in Rome.

A leader named Hadrian built it. It crosses a river. Many people used it to walk to a church. Long ago, people saw an angel on a nearby castle. This gave the bridge a new name. The bridge has many stone statues. Some are of angels. You can walk on the bridge today. It is a very pretty place to see the city.

The Ponte Sant'Angelo is a famous bridge in Rome, Italy.

A Roman leader named Hadrian built it in 134 AD. It crosses the Tiber River. It used to lead to his tomb. That tomb is now a large building called Castel Sant'Angelo.

In the past, people called it the Aelian Bridge. Later, it became known as the bridge of Saint Peter. This was because many people walked there to visit a big church. One legend says an angel appeared on the castle roof. This angel said a plague was over. Because of this, the bridge got its current name.

The bridge has many beautiful statues. In the 1500s, leaders used money from the bridge to make them. They made statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Later, a famous artist named Bernini helped design ten angels.

These angels hold different items. Some angels hold a crown of thorns. Others hold a sponge or a cross. Today, you can walk across the bridge to see the view.

The Ponte Sant'Angelo is a famous bridge in Rome, Italy.

It crosses over the Tiber River. This bridge is very important for seeing the city. It connects two areas called Ponte and Borgo. Today, people only walk on the bridge. It offers a great view of the Castel Sant'Angelo. This large building stands at one end of the bridge.

The bridge uses arches to cross the water. It is faced with a stone called travertine marble. Originally, it had three main Roman arches. It also had ramps on each side. These ramps helped people get onto the bridge from the river. In the 1800s, workers changed the ends. They built two new arches to replace the old ramps. These new arches look like the Roman ones. This was part of work to build the Lungotevere.

Roman Emperor Hadrian built the bridge long ago. He finished it in 134 AD. At that time, it was called the Aelian Bridge. It led from the city to his own tomb. Later, the bridge got new names. It was called the bridge of Saint Peter. This was because pilgrims used it to reach a big church. In the sixth century, it became known as Sant'Angelo. A legend says an angel appeared on the castle roof. This angel said a plague was ending.

Many people have visited the bridge through history. In the year 1300, the poet Dante wrote about it. He said there were two lanes for the crowds. During the 1450 jubilee, the crowds were too large. The railings fell down and people fell into the river. To fix this, leaders pulled down some houses. They wanted to make the path wider for pilgrims. In 1535, Pope Clement VII used bridge money for statues. He paid for statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The bridge is famous for its many beautiful statues. The artist Bernini helped design ten angels. These angels hold items like a crown of thorns. One angel holds a sponge. Another angel holds a cross. Some of Bernini's original angels are in a different church now. Other angels hold a column or a whip. These statues make the bridge very special. Even today, people walk across to see them.

The Ponte Sant'Angelo is a historic bridge located in Rome, Italy. It spans the Tiber River, which is a major river in the city. This bridge is significant because it connects two different districts, called rioni, named Ponte and Borgo. Today, the bridge is used only by pedestrians. It offers a scenic view of the Castel Sant'Angelo, a massive building at one end.

The bridge is constructed using travertine marble. This is a type of stone used for the exterior facing. The structure uses arches to cross the water. Originally, the bridge featured three main Roman arches. It also included ramps on either side to help people reach the bridge from the river. During the 19th century, the design changed during the construction of the Lungotevere. The old Roman ramps were demolished. Workers replaced them with two new arches that look similar to the original Roman style.

The history of the bridge began with Roman Emperor Hadrian. He completed the construction in 134 AD. At that time, it was known as the Aelian Bridge or Pons Aelius. Hadrian built it to connect the city center to his own mausoleum. This tomb is what we now call the Castel Sant'Angelo. In the early Middle Ages, the original Roman name was forgotten. Because pilgrims used this route to reach St. Peter's Basilica, it was called the "bridge of Saint Peter."

In the sixth century, the name changed again to Sant'Angelo. This happened under the rule of Pope Gregory I. A legend explains this name change. The story says an angel appeared on the roof of the castle. This angel announced that a plague was coming to an end. The bridge has seen many different types of crowds throughout history. During the jubilee of 1300, the poet Dante described the bridge in his work, the Divine Comedy. He noted that two separate lanes were used to manage the large number of pilgrims.

Large crowds sometimes caused serious problems on the bridge. During the jubilee of 1450, the balustrades, or railings, collapsed. This happened because there were too many pilgrims at once. Many people unfortunately drowned in the river as a result. To prevent this from happening again, leaders took action. They pulled down a Roman triumphal arch and some houses at the head of the bridge. These actions were taken to widen the route for the travelers.

Art and religion have shaped the bridge's appearance for centuries. In 1535, Pope Clement VII used the bridge's toll income for a specific purpose. He allocated the money to erect statues of the apostles. Lorenzetto created the statue of Saint Peter, who holds a book. Paolo Romano created the statue of Saint Paul, who holds a book and a broken sword. Later, other statues were added. These included the four evangelists, several patriarchs, and figures like Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

The most famous artistic addition was a program by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. In 1669, Pope Clement IX commissioned replacements for aging stucco angels. Bernini designed ten angels that hold instruments of the Passion. These are objects related to the suffering of Jesus. Bernini personally finished two of the originals. These included the Angel with the Superscription and the Angel with the Crown of Thorns. However, the Pope kept these two originals for his own pleasure. They are now located in the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte.

The bridge serves as a connection between ancient engineering and modern city life. It has survived from the era of Roman Emperors to the present day. In the year 2000, the area of the Lungotevere on the right bank became a pedestrian zone. This change was made for the Great Jubilee. The bridge remains a vital part of Rome's landscape. It links the history of the Roman Empire to the religious history of the Papacy. It continues to be a place where people walk to observe the architecture and the river.