Engelenburcht, Sint-Pietersbasiliek en de rivier de Tiber Possibly 1675 - 1717

This print by Pieter Schenk, captures the Engelenburcht, Sint-Pietersbasiliek, and the Tiber River. Dominating the composition, the Castel Sant’Angelo, or the 'Castle of the Holy Angel', began its life as Hadrian’s tomb, reflecting the Roman desire for immortality through architecture. Note how the castle, initially a mausoleum, transformed into a papal fortress. The Archangel Michael statue atop it, a symbol of divine intervention during a plague, embodies a profound shift in the castle's purpose – from a monument to mortality, to a bastion of spiritual protection. This metamorphosis echoes the cyclical nature of symbols. Consider how the image of an angel, a messenger from the divine, recurs across cultures and epochs, adapting to new religious and artistic contexts. In each iteration, the angel serves as a bridge between the earthly and the celestial, engaging our collective memory and subconscious yearning for transcendence. This image pulls us, with its representation of the cyclical progression of symbols, to recognize how images evolve and resurface through history.