It's name derives from the statue of archangel Michaël at the top of the fortification. In the year 139 A.D. it still was the mausoleum of Hadrian. Since then it functioned as part of the Aurelian wall, medieval stronghold, a prison and papal residence.
A museum with 58 rooms show you each aspect of its history: from the damp cellblocks to the breathtaking quarters of the papal residence.
Interesting is the Vatican Corridor, a tunnel from the Vatican to the Castel Sant'Angelo. The corridor was built in 1277 as an escaperoute for the pope.


