Raffaello da Montelupo

Castle Sant'Angelo

Raffaello da Montelupo (c)1504 - (c)1566

Raffaele Sinibaldi was born in Montelupo near Florence. He was the son of sculptor Baccio da Montelupo. Raffaelo was trained by his father and worked under the direction of Michelangelo contributing to the tomb of Pope Julius II in St Peter in Vincoli. When he was in his twenties he entered the workshop of Lorenzo Lotti (Lorenzetto) assisting him with works of Elijah and Jonah for The Chigi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo, the marble relief of the Marriage of St Catherine in Santa Maria della Consolazione and worked on the tomb of Raphael in The Pantheon and the tomb of Leo X at Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

He was commissioned by Pope Leo X to build a chapel in Castel Sant'Angelo he created a Madonna and sculptured the marble angel of Saint Michael holding aloft a sword which stood on top of the castle until 1753 which can be found now in a courtyard of the castle.

He retired to Orveito where he contributed designs for the Duomo and died around 1566.