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Why is a statue of the archangel Michael on Castel Sant’Angelo connected with Gregory I?

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St. Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I (the Great) depicted in a stained glass window at St. Michael & All Angels Church in Brinkworth, Wiltshire, England.

The statue of the archangel Michael atop the Castel Sant’Angelo is connected to Pope Gregory the Great through a vision he experienced in 590 CE.12

During a severe plague epidemic in Rome, Gregory led a penitential procession to pray for the city's relief. According to tradition, he had a vision of the archangel Michael appearing above the building—then known as the mausoleum of the emperor Hadrian—and sheathing his sword. This act was interpreted as a divine sign that the plague had ended.1324

This event led to the structure being renamed Castel Sant’Angelo (Castle of the Holy Angel) and inspired the placement of a statue on its summit to commemorate the miracle. While the current bronze statue dates to 1753, it continues to depict the archangel in the act of replacing his sword in its scabbard, honoring the vision that defined the site's history.1243