St. Peter in Chains (San Pietro in Vincoli)

St. Peter in Chains (San Pietro in Vincoli) is best known for the fact it houses the statue of Moses sculpted by Michelangelo.

It was originally built in the 5th century to display the relic of the chains that bound St. Peter while imprisoned in Jerusalem. Eudocia, wife of emperor Teodosio II, had travelled to Jerusalem to retrieved the chains.

The legend goes that when the chains were given to Pope Leo I he laid them beside the set of chains used in St. Peter’s final imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison, the two chains fused themselves together. The chains are now kept under the main altar.

Michelangelo’s Mozes, was completed in 1515. It was supposed to be part of the monument for Pope Julius II, for which Michelangelo was to have carved forty-four sculptures. Instead it became a free standing show piece in its own right. The Pope was buried here as this was his family church. The statue bears sign of early iconographic symbolism as Moses has horns. This is due to the Hebrew words for “horns” and “beams of light” being similar.

Related posts:

• St Peter’s Basilica (Basilica San Pietro)
• Castel Sant’Angelo
• Spanish Steps