"Da Vinci" angel by Bernini (approx. 60 mm)

The Angels Bridge (Italian: Ponte Sant'Angelo) was originally a Roman bridge in Rome. The bridge connects the Castel Sant'Angelo (Castel Sant 'Angelo) to the other side of the Tiber. The bridge was built in 134 and commissioned by Emperor Hadrian, which is a direct connection from the city to his newly constructed mausoleum, the current Castel Sant'Angelo, wanted. The bridge also got its name Pons Pons Aelius or Hadrian, was the family name of Aelius Hadrian. The bridge is built of travertine and peperino arches. Originally, the Pons Aelius had eight arches; the three central arches with a diameter of 18.39 meters, three smaller arcs of 3, 3.5 and 7:59 on the left side and two of 3.75, and 7:59 on the right side. The bridge is 10.95 meters wide. On the eastern side of the bridge was the Arch of Gratian, Valentinian and Theodosius II, built around 380. From the sixth century, both the bridge and the mausoleum were named Sant'Angelo. According to legend, namely announced the archangel Michael in 590 on top of the castle to the end of a plague epidemic. Later, the bridge was also punch Sancti Petri (bridge of Saint Peter) called as many pilgrims crossed the Tiber on the way to St. Peter's Basilica. On September 19 in the Holy Year 1450 large groups of pilgrims walked across the bridge to St. Peter. When the mass was too large buckled the balustrades and many fell into the river with 178 people drowned. This point was the ancient triumphal arch and a number of houses in the bridgehead demolished to widen the street. When the bridgehead on the east were centuries executions. The corpses of the prisoners were then exhibited at the bridge for deterrence. In 1527 the statues of Peter and Paul were placed on the bridge commissioned by Pope Clement VIII. Later on, more images of the patriarchs, the evangelists and Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses. These images were in 1669 already so dilapidated that Pope Clement IX ordered to manufacture the famous sculptor Bernini 10 new images of angels. Bernini himself made only two images and they were so nice found by Pope Clement IX that he loved them yourself instead of them on the bridge sites. Both images are now in church Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, also in Rome. The remaining images are now on the bridge were made by the pupils of Bernini, including by Antonio Giorgetti. These angels seem just to have descended from heaven and keep the faithful the irrefutable truth of the gospel. This truth is depicted by the angels all tools showing the martyrdom of Christ. In the iconography these objects called the Arma Christi. In 1892 the government of Rome finally decided to do something about the constant flooding of the river that ravaged the city more than 2,000 years. Meter high embankments were built to keep out the rising water. This meant that when on both banks of the Angels Bridge bridgehead be reconstructed. Now remain only the three central pillars yet.