Sant'Angelo is the 11th of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy, located in

Municipio I Municipio I is an administrative subdivision of the municipality of Rome, encompassing the centre of the city. It was first created by Rome's city council on 19 January 2001 and has a president who is elected during the mayoral elections. On 11 ...

. Often written as , it has a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

with an

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

on a red background, holding a

palm branch The palm branch, or palm frond, is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life originating in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. The palm ''(Phoenix (plant), Phoenix)'' was sacred in Mesopotamian religions, and in ancient E ...

in its left hand. In another version, the angel holds a

sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

in its right hand and a scale in its left. Sant'Angelo, the smallest of Rome's rioni, lies along the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...

river east of

Tiber Island The Tiber Island (, Latin: ''Insula Tiberina'') is the only river island in the part of the Tiber which runs through Rome. Tiber Island is located in the southern bend of the Tiber. The island is boat-shaped, approximately long and wide, and ha ...

. Rioni bordering this district, clockwise from north to south, include

Regola Regola is the 7th of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. VII, and belongs to the Municipio I. The name comes from (the name is recognizable in the modern ''Via Arenula''), which was the name of the soft sand ( in Italian) that the river T ...

Sant'Eustachio Sant'Eustachio () is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, named for the martyr Saint Eustace. It is located on Via di Sant'Eustachio in the Sant'Eustachio (rione of Rome), rione Sant'Eustachio, a block west of the Pantheo ...

, Pigna,

Campitelli Campitelli is the 10th of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. X, and is located in the Municipio I. Its emblem consists of a black dragon's head on a white background. This symbol comes from the legend that Pope Silvester I threw out a ...

, and Ripa. Sant'Angelo's western border is the river. The rione's terrain is low and flat and, until the construction of the Lungotevere, particularly susceptible to flooding from the river. The historical significance of Sant'Angelo is mainly the result of the presence here of the

Roman Ghetto The Roman Ghetto or Ghetto of Rome () was a Jewish ghettos in Europe, Jewish ghetto established in 1555 by Pope Paul IV in the Sant'Angelo (rione of Rome), Rione Sant'Angelo, in Rome, Italy, in the area surrounded by present-day Via del Porticus ...

History

Roman Age: ''Circus Flaminius''

During the early Roman period, the territory occupied by Sant'Angelo lay outside the

Servian walls The Servian Wall (; ) is an ancient Roman defensive barrier constructed around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC. The wall was built of volcanic tuff and was up to in height in places, wide at its base, long, and is believed to hav ...

, east of

. This location at a point where the river could be forded easilyat least in summerhad great strategic importance. The oldest stone bridge of Rome, the , was completed in 142 BC and stood slightly south of the island. The Cestian and Fabrician bridges, built during the 1st century BC to connect the island with the right and the left bank respectively, further increased the importance of the area. The area housed the

Circus Flaminius The Circus Flaminius was a large, circular area in ancient Rome, located in the southern end of the Campus Martius near the Tiber River. It contained a small race-track used for obscure games, and various other buildings and monuments. It was "bu ...

, which lay near the

Capitoline Hill The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; ; ), between the Roman Forum, Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn (mythology), Saturn. The wo ...

and the Forum and served as the site of the as well as the starting point for

Roman triumph The Roman triumph (') was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the success of a military commander who had led Roman forces to victory in the service of the state or, in some historical t ...

s.Staccioli, 208. It was also the home of the Forum Olitorium, the Roman vegetable market, as well as

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

s built by Gnaeus Octavius in 168 BC and

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus (c. 188 BC – 116 BC/115 BC) was a statesman and general of the Roman Republic during the second century BC. He was praetor in 148 BC, consul in 143 BC, the Proconsul of Hispania Citerior in 142 BC an ...

in 146 BC and temples to Hercules Musarum, Juno Regina,

Jupiter Stator Jupiter ( or , from Proto-Italic "day, sky" + "father", thus "sky father" Greek: Δίας or Ζεύς), also known as Jove ( nom. and gen. ), is the god of the sky and thunder, and king of the gods in ancient Roman religion and mytholog ...

, Bellona, Apollo Medicus, Juno Sospita,

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...

, and

Piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context, piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary amon ...

. In the 1st century BC,

Pompey the Great Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

built his grand marble theater and

nearby.

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

intended to outdo these but construction was completed much later by

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, who dedicated his theater to his nephew Marcellus. It could hold 15,000 spectators at a time. L. Cornelius Balbus built his own smaller theater in the area as well in 13 BC. It featured a cryptoportico, whose remains are still visible beside the Via delle Botteghe Oscure. During the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

, the district was part of , one of fourteen Roman regions. Augustus further beautified the area by destroying both of its previous porticos, replacing them with the

Porticus Octaviae The Porticus Octaviae (Latin language, Latin for the 'Portico of Octavia'; ) is an ancient structure in Rome. The colonnaded walks of the portico enclosed the Temple of Juno Regina (Campus Martius), Temples of Juno Regina (north) and Temple of J ...

dedicated to his sister and the Porticus Philippi constructed by his stepbrother L. Marcius Philippus. In addition to their rehabilitated temples, the Portico of Octavia also included

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

and 34 bronze statues by

Lysippos Lysippos (; ) was a Greek sculptor of the 4th century BC. Together with Scopas and Praxiteles, he is considered one of the three greatest sculptors of the Classical Greek era, bringing transition into the Hellenistic period. Problems confron ...

portraying

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

and the soldiers who fell during the

Battle of the Granicus The Battle of the Granicus in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon and the Persian Achaemenid Empire. The battle took place on the road from Abydos (Hellespont ...

. Part of the area used for these enlarged plazas was obtained at the expense of the

Middle Ages: ''Sant'Angelo in foro piscium''

After the end of the Empire the monumental edifices collapsed, but some of them were transformed into fortresses. Several factors played an important role in this transformation: first, the size and solidity of construction; then, the closeness to the Tiber (after the rupture of the aqueducts during the Gothic war, the river became the only source of drinking water for the city). Finally, the possibility of controlling the access to the right bank via the Pons Fabricius, Cestius and Aemilius, the only bridges which were still in place inside the

Aurelian walls The Aurelian Walls () are a line of city walls built between 271 AD and 275 AD in Rome, Italy, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Aurelian. They superseded the earlier Servian Wall built during the 4th century BC. The walls enclosed all the ...

by that time. The

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

ial families of the '' Fabii'' and later of the Savelli, which owned also the stronghold on the Aventine named ''Corte Savella'', nested inside the

theatre of Marcellus The Theatre of Marcellus (, ) was an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, Italy, built in the closing years of the Roman Republic. It is located in the modern rione of Sant'Angelo. In the sixteenth century, it was converted into a palazzo. Construc ...

, while inside the Theater and the Crypta of Balbus the Stefaneschi built the stronghold known as ''Castrum aureum'' ("golden castle"), which later was donated to the monastery of Santa Caterina. The fish market moved from the

Forum Piscarium The Forum Piscarium () was the fish market of ancient Rome (a ''forum venalium''), north of the Roman Forum, between the Sacra Via and the Argiletum. It was burned in 210 BC and rebuilt the next year. In 179 BC it was incorporated in the general ...

, located near the

Forum Romanum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, along ...

, into the ruins of the ''Porticus Octaviae'', which kept this function up to the end of the 19th century, becoming one of the most picturesque places in Rome. During the Middle Ages the district got the name of ''Vinea Thedemari'', while its northern part was named ''Calcaràrio'', after the

limekiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime (material), lime called ''quicklime'' (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this chemical reaction, reaction is: Calcium carbonat ...

s ("Calcàre"), which throughout centuries produced

quicklime Calcium oxide (formula: Ca O), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term '' lime'' connotes calcium-containin ...

obtained by burning the marbles of the Roman Fora. Later appeared also the appellation ''Sant'Angelo'', after the most important church of the rione, ''Sant'Angelo in Foro Piscium'' ("St. Angel in the Fish Market"). This church, erected in 770 AD inside the Propylea of the Portico of Octavia, had a great historical importance during the Middle Ages. From here, on the

Whitsun Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian holy day of Pentecost. It falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and commemorates the descent of the H ...

day of 1347, the Romans, led by

Cola di Rienzo Nicola di Lorenzo Gabrini (1313 8 October 1354), commonly known as Cola di Rienzo () or Rienzi, was an Italian politician and leader, who styled himself as the "tribune of the Roman people". During his lifetime, he advocated for the unificatio ...

, launched the assault on the Capitol, attempting to restore the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

. Being a quarter inhabited mainly by people belonging to the working-class, Sant'Angelo, like the neighboring districts of

and Ripa, hosted many

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

s: near the church of Santa Caterina were active the rope makers, who twisted their ropes in the 60 m long porticoed yard of the ''Crypta Balbi''. Along the ''Botteghe Oscure'' ("Dark shops")—as the arcades of the Theater of Balbus were called— was produced quicklime, while smiths and

coppersmith A coppersmith, also known as a brazier, is a person who makes artifacts from copper and brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The term "redsmith" is used for a tinsmith that uses tinsmithing tools and techniques to make copper items. Hi ...

s had their shops inside the arcades of the theater of Marcellus. Finally, carders and shearers worked near the church of San Valentino, while fish mongers were placed under the Portico d'Ottavia, where they sold the fishes on marble slabs which were expensively rented by the noble Roman families. On the wall near the Portico is still visible a copy of the marble plaque (the original can be seen in the

Musei Capitolini The Capitoline Museums () are a group of art and archaeology, archaeological museums in Piazza del Campidoglio, on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. The historic seats of the museums are Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo, facing ...

), whose length gives the maximum size of the fishes which could be sold whole. Those which were longer would have their heads cut off. These had to be given as a perquisite to the ''Conservatori'' (the town councillors of papal Rome), who used them to prepare a fish soup. The most typical activity in the market was the fish auction, known as ''cottío'', which took place every night after 2 a.m. Particularly popular in Rome was the ''cottío'' on December 23. Many Romans attended it to buy the fish needed for the dinner of

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

, and many more just to watch the show. It marked the beginning of the Christmas holidays.

Renaissance: ''Serraglio delli Ebrei''

The

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

reached Sant'Angelo around the middle of the 15th century. At that time Lorenzo Manili, a noble Roman antiquarian enthusiastic about his city, built his house with a façade containing Roman

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s and a long inscription in

, where he praises the rebirth of the Eternal City. In the 16th century, the Savelli had built on the top of the Theatre of Marcellus a beautiful palace, the work of Baldassarre Peruzzi, later owned by the

Orsini Orsini is a surname of Italian origin, originally derived from Latin ''ursinus'' ("bearlike") and originating as an epithet or sobriquet describing the name-bearer's purported strength. Notable people with the surname include the following: * Aaro ...

. In the meantime, in the north side of the rione, another powerful family, the Mattei, erected four palaces, which together formed a whole block, named "Isola dei Mattei" ("Mattei's block"). Other noble families too, like the Costaguti, Santacroce and Serlupi, chose to build their residences here in that period. But, while the wind of the Renaissance was starting to blow around Rome, another event changed deeply the destiny of the rione: the arrival of the Jews. A Jewish colony was present in Rome since the beginning of the Christian era, but the Jews by then had been living in '' Transtiberim'', near the Port of Ripa Grande. Because of the decay of the river trade, at the beginning of the 15th century they left the right bank and scattered through the city. By that time, in Rome there were about 2,000 Jews: 1,200 were living in Sant'Angelo (where they totaled 80 per cent of the population), 350 in Regola, 200 in Ripa, while the others were distributed among the remaining districts. On 14 July 1555,

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV (; ; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559), born Gian Pietro Carafa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death, in August 1559. While serving as papal nuncio in Spain, he developed ...

, one of the champions of the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

, promulgated the

Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

" Cum nimis absurdum", where he revoked all the rights of the Jewish community and enclosed them in a walled district, the

Ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

. The Christians who were owners of the houses placed inside the Ghetto could keep the property but, thanks to the so-called "jus gazzagà" (right of possession) they could neither evict the Jews nor raise the rents. The wall was interrupted by two gates, which were opened at dawn and closed every night, one hour after sunset between November and Easter, and two hours otherwise. The area had a trapezoidal shape, and contained hardly any noteworthy buildings. The only important square – Piazza Giudea – was divided in two parts by the wall. All the churches which stood in the Ghetto were deconsecrated and demolished soon after its construction. The Roman Jews were allowed to practice only unskilled jobs, as ragmen,

secondhand Used goods, also known as secondhand goods, are any item of personal property that have been previously owned by someone else and are offered for sale not as new, including metals in any form except coins that are legal tender. Used goods may ...

dealersDe Rossi, 222. or

fishmonger A fishmonger (historically fishwife for female practitioners) is someone who sells raw fish and seafood. Fishmongers can be wholesalers or retailers and are trained at selecting and purchasing, handling, gutting, boning, filleting, displaying, ...

s. They could also be

pawnbroker A pawnbroker is an individual that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as Collateral (finance), collateral. A pawnbrokering business is called a pawnshop, and while many items can be pawned, pawnshops typic ...

s, and this activity excited the hate of the Christians against them. In the

lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...

game, they were allowed to bet only on low numbers (from 1 through 30), and all belonging to the same group of 10. In case of a draw of five numbers of that kind, the Romans said that on that day in the Ghetto there was taking place a great feast. When they went outside their district, the men had to wear a yellow cloth (the "sciamanno"), and the women a yellow veil (the same color worn by prostitutes). During the feasts they had to amuse the Christians, competing in humiliating games. They had to run naked, with a rope around the neck, or with their legs closed into sacks. Sometimes they were also ridden by soldiers. Each year, on the

Campidoglio The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; ; ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. The word ''Capitolium'' first referre ...

, the

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

had to pay homage to the chief of the city councillors ("Caporione"), receiving by him in exchange for it a kick to his bottom. This "ceremony" meant that the Jewish community had been allowed to stay one more year in Rome. Every Saturday, the Jewish community was forced to hear compulsory sermons in front of the small church of ''San Gregorio a Ponte Quattro Capi'', just outside the wall. At the time of its construction, in the Ghetto – as almost everywhere in Rome – there was no fresh water. However, some years later the Popes built several fountains in the rione, and one was placed in Piazza Giudea. The great number of people living in such a small area, together with the poverty of the population, caused terrible hygienic conditions. The district, lying very low and near the Tiber, was often flooded. 800 of 4,000 inhabitants in the plague of 1656.Pietrangeli, 44. Sant'Angelo, which was the rione with the smallest area, was also, thanks to the presence of the Ghetto, the one having the largest population density.

Modern Age

The 17th and the 18th centuries passed without noteworthy events: the center of gravity of the Church had already moved from the

Lateran 250px, Basilica and Palace - side view Lateran and Laterano are names for an area of Rome, and the shared names of several buildings in Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the Roman Empire. The Laterani lost their p ...

to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

and Borgo, and the Capitol lost its importance as a residential area in favor of the

Campo Marzio Campo Marzio () is the 4th of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. IV. It belongs to the Municipio I and covers a smaller section of the area of the ancient Campus Martius. The logo of this rione is a silver crescent on a blue background. ...

plain. Things started to change again with the French Revolution. During the Roman republic, in 1798, the gates of the Ghetto were finally opened, and the ''Tree of Freedom'' was planted in Piazza Giudea. The fall of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

caused the compulsory return of the Jews to the walled district. In 1848,

Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

ordered the demolition of the walls but, because of the resistance of the Romans, the task had to be accomplished during the night. Anyway, it was only after the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

on 20 September 1870, that the Roman Jews ceased to be considered as second-class citizens. After the unification of Italy huge transformations affected the district. Great walls were built along the river, in order to avoid prevent flooding, and this caused the demolition of the picturesque row of houses which were mirrored in the Tiber. The Ghetto, although the Jews were now free citizens, was always crowded with the Jewish community, but the hygienic conditions forced a radical solution. The whole quarter was pulled down in 1885, spending much more than the originally budgeted five millions Lire, and new buildings, whose style does not match with the old buildings, arose around the new Great Synagogue of Rome. The only part of Sant'Angelo which can still give an idea of the old Ghetto is along the lane named ''Via della Reginella'', which was included in the walled district only during the 19th century. During the 1920s, Sant'Angelo was affected by the great demolition works started in the center of Rome by the

Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

regime. In 1926, the quarter around the Theater of Marcellus was pulled down, while the monument was isolated and restored. Many picturesque medieval structures, lanes and squares disappeared, but this work revealed certain Roman temples: the temples of Apollo Sosianus and of Bellona were unearthed by the archeologists at that time. Moreover, also beautiful medieval houses, including the House of the Vallati and the Albergo della Catena, up to then hidden under later accretions, were carefully restored. Then, in 1940, in the north side of the rione, the street ''Via delle Botteghe Oscure'' was drastically enlarged, and there also churches and palaces fell victim to the pickaxe. After the demolitions during the Fascist period, it was decided to modify the historical borders of the rione, established in 1743 under Benedict XIV. Sant'Angelo then spread out, incorporating small but important parts of the adjacent districts of Campitelli and Ripa. Among other things, the churches of ''

Santa Maria in Campitelli Santa Maria in Campitelli or Santa Maria in Portico (''Santa Maria in Portico di Campitelli'') is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the narrow Piazza di Campitelli in Rione Sant'Angelo, Rome, Italy. The church is served by the Clerics R ...

'' and of ''San Gregorio della divina Pietà'' then became part of the rione. During the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

occupation of Rome in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Jewish community was forced to pay 50 kg gold to the SS, to avoid deportation to the

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...

. On October 16, 1943, despite the payment of the ransom, 2,091 Jews were deported, and most of them were murdered in

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

. Many others were also killed on March 24, 1944, in the

Ardeatine massacre The Ardeatine massacre, or Fosse Ardeatine massacre (), was a mass killing of 335 civilians and political prisoners carried out in Rome on 24 March 1944 by German occupation troops during the Second World War as a reprisal for the Via Rasell ...

Sant'Angelo today

At the dawn of the 21st century Sant'Angelo remains one of the most characteristic districts in the old Rome. While the northern part of the rione, with its web of narrow, lonely lanes which protect it from the traffic, keeps a mainly residential character, the southern part is always characterized by the strong Jewish presence. The roads around the Portico d'Ottavia keep the atmosphere of a village, and host several small shops (also run by Jews) and many '' Trattorie'', which, with their fried artichokes and filet of stockfish, perpetuate the tradition of the Jewish Roman cooking. The presence of a strong Jewish community makes necessary a continuous – albeit discreet – presence of Police and

Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...

, deployed above all near the Synagogue in order to prevent attacks. Sant'Angelo hosts also several cultural institutions, such as the ''Enciclopedia Italiana'', the ''Discoteca Nazionale'' and the ''Centro di Studi Americani'', which holds the most important library of Americana in Europe.Pietrangeli, 12.

Geography

Borders

To the north, Sant'Angelo borders with Pigna (R. IX), from which is separated by Via delle Botteghe Oscure and Via Florida. To the east, the ''rione'' borders with

(R. X), whose border is marked by Via d'Aracoeli, Via Margana, Piazza Margana, Via dei Delfini, Via Cavalletti, Piazza di Campitelli, Via Montanara and Via del Teatro di Marcello. Southward, it borders with Ripa (R. XII), the boundary being outlined by Via del Foro Olitorio, Lungotevere dei Pierleoni, Ponte Fabricio and the

, beside the

. To the west, the ''rione'' borders with

, from which is separated by Piazza delle Cinque Scole and Via di Santa Maria del Pianto. It also borders with

(R. VIII), whose border is marked by Via in Publicolis, Via dei Falegnami, Via di Sant'Elena and Largo Arenula.

Noteworthy things in the Rione

Squares

* Piazza dei Calcarari * Piazza Campitelli * Piazza delle Cinque Scole * Piazza Costaguti * Piazza dell'Enciclopedia * Piazza Lovatelli * Piazza Mattei * Piazza di Monte Savello * Piazza Paganica

Streets

* Via d'Aracoeli * Via delle Botteghe Oscure * Via M.Caetani * Via Catalana * Lungotevere de' Cenci * Vicolo Costaguti * Via dei Delfini * Via de'Falegnami * Vicolo de' Falegnami * Via Florida * Via del Foro Olitorio * Via del Foro Piscario * Via de'Funari * Via Montanara * Via di Monte Savello * Via Paganica * Vicolo Paganica * Lungotevere dei Pierleoni * Via dei Polacchi * Vicolo dei Polacchi * Via del Portico d'Ottavia * Via in Publicolis * Vicolo in Publicolis * Via della Reginella * Via di S.Ambrogio * Via di S.Angelo in Pescheria * Via di S.Elena * Vicolo di S.Elena * Via di S.Maria del Pianto * Via del Teatro di Marcello * Via del Tempio * Via della Tribuna di Campitelli

Buildings

Theatre of Marcellus The Theatre of Marcellus (, ) was an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, Italy, built in the closing years of the Roman Republic. It is located in the modern rione of Sant'Angelo. In the sixteenth century, it was converted into a palazzo. Construc ...

* Portico di Ottavia * Palazzo Mattei di Giove * Palazzo Mattei di Paganica * Palazzo di Giacomo Mattei * Palazzo Costaguti * Palazzo Caetani * Palazzo Santacroce * House of the Vallati * House of Lorenzo Manili * Albergo della catena * Palazzo Orsini Savelli

Churches

Santa Caterina dei Funari Santa Caterina dei Funari is a church in Rome in Italy, in the rione of Sant'Angelo. The church is mainly known for its façade and its interior with frescoes and paintings. History The church is located where the Castro Aureo of the Circus Flamin ...

Sant'Angelo in Pescheria Sant'Angelo in Pescheria or in Piscaria is a churches of Rome, church in Rome. Dating from the 8th century, it is now used as the conventual church of the General Curia of the Clerics Regular Minor, the orders global headquarters. "In Pescheria" r ...

* Oratorio dei pescivendoli * San Gregorio della divina pietà * Santo Stanislao dei Polacchi * Santa Rita da Cascia *

* San Nicola in Carcere *

Sant'Ambrogio della Massima Sant'Ambrogio della Massima (also Sant'Ambrogio alla Massima) is an ancient Catholic church in rione Sant'Angelo, Rome, Italy. It is home to the General Curia of the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation of the Order of Saint Benedict. Perhaps datin ...

* Santi Sebastiano e Valentino (destroyed)

Other monuments

Synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

* Fountain of the Tortoises * Fountain of Piazza Giudea

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

Artistic Guide of Sant'Angelo (from romeartlover.it, in English)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sant'angelo (Rione Of Rome) 01 Rioni of Rome Jewish Roman (city) history