Castel Sant'Angelo's Cappella dei Condannati Reopens After Contemporary Restyling

Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome has reopened its Cappella dei Condannati, a former prayer space for death row prisoners, now transformed into a multifunctional venue for events, conferences, and video projections. The project was led by architects Federico Lardera and Egidio Senatore of studio larderArch, commissioned by director Mariastella Margozzi. The chapel, originally a gunpowder warehouse turned 18th–19th century chapel, had been closed since the site became a museum in 1925. The restyling includes acoustic cylinders evoking candles, stained glass windows with Piranesi's Carceri d'Invenzione, and a LED wall. The space was inaugurated on December 12 with a screening of Marco Agostinelli's film I Misteri di Castel Sant'Angelo. The intervention also restored the Sale Farnesiane and rooms of Perseo, Amore e Psiche, Adrianeo, Festoni, and Cagliostra, displaying works from the early 20th century collection including the Polittico degli Zavattari and Luca Signorelli's Madonna con Bambino. The chapel's history is tied to Puccini's Tosca, set at Castel Sant'Angelo.