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The Miracle of Castel Sant'Angelo

c. 1500
Artist/maker unknown , active Aragon, Spanish
In an effort to save Rome from a terrible plague, Pope Gregory the Great (died 604) led a procession around the ancient tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian, which was a large fortress on the Tiber River. The pope carried an image of the Virgin Mary. Saint Michael Archangel appeared miraculously on the battlements and halted the spread of the plague. The fortress, which can be visited today in the center of Rome, was renamed Castel Sant'Angelo after the archangel.

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