‘Angels & Demons’ on location: Castel Sant’Angelo in photos
ROME, Italy — A “kabayan” is among the Filipinos working at the roof deck café of Castel Sant’Angelo, the popes’ former castle and fortress and one of the locations that figured prominently in the 2009 American mystery thriller film “Angels & Demons,” which is getting airplay nowadays as it features the papal conclave.
Interest on the Catholic Church’s mysteries and the conclave is up following the recent death and burial of Pope Francis.
In “Angels & Demons,” Harvard University Professor of Religious Iconology and Symbology Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, rescues a cardinal kidnapped by the Illuminati. The cardinal tells Langdon that he and the other preferiti (cardinals preferred to become the next pope) were held captive in Castel Sant’Angelo.
Castel Sant’Angelo, nowadays, can be visited through advanced booking online or through tour groups bundled with other destinations such as the Pantheon and the Vatican Museums.
It is easily navigable with or without a tour or audio guide, but walking around the castle is such a leg burner that includes steep slopes, staircases and narrow passages leading to the castle’s many rooms that are now museums for artifacts and art exhibits.
Since the castle was once the tallest building in Rome, it gives one the perfect vantage points to take pictures of the entirety of the nearby St. Peter’s Basilica and Square. It gives a good aerial view of Rome, especially when one reaches the castle’s peak, the location of the St. Michael the Archangel statue that depicts the belief that the castle was built where the archangel allegedly defeated Lucifer.
The castle was originally built as a mausoleum for Roman Emperor Hadrian and his family between 134 and 139 AD.
In the 14th century, the popes converted the building into a castle. Pope Nicholas III connected the castle to St. Peter’s Basilica. Through the years, the castle’s alleged “secret passageways” leading to The Vatican, also as depicted in the movie “Angels & Demons,” have caused mystery and intrigue.
Today, the Passetto di Borgo or Corridor of Borgo, once the “secret passage” connecting the castle to The Vatican City, where popes are supposed to escape for safety, is now open for tours.
