Porta San Sebastiano - 1 - The Unnoticed Angel

Porta San Sebastiano is the ancient gate which allowed those travelling on the Appian Way to enter the Eternal City. The gate is still in use, being on a rather busy road intersection. While the surrounding section of Roman walls  is still original, the gate, through the centuries, has undergone several changes, both during the Middle Age, during the Renaissance period, and even in 20th Century, when Ettore Muti, one of the most famous components of the top brass of the Fascist regime, turned the gate into his very own pied-à-terre. 

This gate, which is itself a nice view, and besides being the entrance to visit a section of the walls, featurees a little "hidden treasure": on the left of the gate (for those "entering" the gate) engraved in the stone, there stands an angel with a spear in the mouth of a dragon trapped under his feet, representing evil. on the right side of the standing figure, there is a Latin text written in Oncial characters. Both the style of the depicted Angel and the "font" used for the text tells us that the image dates back to the Middle Age, most probably engraved by pilgrims who came to Rome and who had to wait for the gates to be open. 

Unfortunately this little treasure often goes unnoticed, as cars pass through the gate without having a chance to appreciate it.  Pedestrians willing to enjoy it will have to synchronize with the car traffic, since the engraving is inside the gate, and the passage is barely enough for a car to pass. 
The more curious (and daring) visitor can take a look at more engravings just on the opposite side, which are smaller and have the names and dates of pilgrimage. Rome is not the "City of Angels" but if you happen to pass by Porta San Sebastiano, you will fine one welcoming you in the Eternal City.

The Angel on Top of Castel Sant'Angelo - Dreams come True (12 centuries later)

The bronze statue on top Castel Sant'Angelo (formerly tomb of the Emperor Hadrian) It's one of Rome's icons, still it can be interesting to take a closer look to it. 

The first interesting aspect is the position the Angel is in: he is in the act of putting his sword back into the scabbard. This statue is actually the materialization of a dream: it depicts a vision had by Pope Gregorius Magnus (Gregory I the Great, 6th Century A.D.) who was worried by a plague which hit the population of Rome and which seemed to be neverending. The Pope understood this plague was a punishment sent by God for the wrong behaviour of the Romans, but also that the plague was about to end because he saw the Angel Michael was putting his sword away, after such a dream, he ordered a procession to beg forgiveness, and the plague suddenly ended. 

This vision and the related miracle stayed in the heart and in the tales of the Roman people, so long that the statue we can admire today was erected only in rhw middle of 18th Century A.D. Later in the same century, the Bell of Mercy was added, a Bell used to announce the execution of death penalty sentences which, in that era, were quite frequent.