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Previously Unknown Plan of Castel Sant'Angelo and Vatican City
This 16th-century engraved plan of the Borgo district of Rome, presents a detailed bird’s-eye perspective of the Vatican and the fortifications of Castel Sant’Angelo.
Produced the middle of the 16th Century, the map captures the fortified layout of the Borgo, emphasizing its strategic defenses and urban organization during the late Renaissance. The engraving offers a combination of planimetric and perspective views, with major structures such as St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Palace, and the elaborate fortifications surrounding Castel Sant’Angelo depicted with precision.
The Castel Sant’Angelo, originally built as Emperor Hadrian’s Mausoleum, dominates the left side of the map, enclosed within a five-pointed star fortification. This defensive structure, adapted over centuries, was a crucial military stronghold of the papacy. The Tiber River (Fiume Tevere) is shown curving around the western boundary of the Borgo, reinforcing the natural barrier that contributed to the area’s defenses. The fortified walls of the Borgo extend eastward, enclosing the district and connecting with the elaborate defenses of the Vatican.
In the upper right section, St. Peter’s Basilica is represented in plan view, with its distinctive cross-shaped layout still under construction during this period. The basilica is surrounded by gardens, courtyards, and various Vatican structures, including the Belvedere Courtyard (Cortile del Belvedere), an important Renaissance architectural complex designed by Bramante.
Additional elements include a scale bar in Roman palms (mensura et canne romane) and a compass rose. The detailed depiction of walls, bastions, and gateways reflects the period’s heightened concern for military architecture, particularly in the defense of the Papal States.
Rarity
The map is apparently unrecorded.
A similar plan is attributed to Rodolfo Lanciani (circa 1565).
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