History
Saint Peter in Chains was built in the fifth century (about 442) at the request of the Empress Eudoxia, wife of the Emperor Valentinian III. Legend has it that, when she presented Pope Leo I with the relic of the chains that Saint Peter was bound up with in Jerusalem, the pope compared them to the chains that held Saint Peter in the Mamertine prison (remnants of which are preserved under the church of San Giuseppe near the Forum) in Rome and the two chains fused together. The chains are kept in a reliquary under the main altar.
It was rebuilt under Adrian I, around 780. The doorway was added in the 16th century while in the 18th century Francesco Fontana added the ionic bases onto the 20 doric columns, which came originally from a Roman temple, of the nave. There also was a major renovation in 1875.
Works of art
The major attraction is Michelangelo’s Moses (c. 1514), which was originally designed as part of a 42-figure ensemble for the tomb of Julius II. Though Michelangelo spent years trying to find the exactly right kind of marble in the mountains of Carrara, the project was never completed and Michelangelo himself referred to it as “this tragedy of a tomb”. (Apparently he was so depressed that he built the Sistine Chapel instead.) The sculpture represents a patriarchal Moses receiving the tablets of stone. An interesting detail is that, due to a medieval mistranslation, Moses is depicted with satyr’s horns instead of “the radiance of the Lord”.
Practical information:
Opening hours: 7-12.30 and 15.30-18
Address: Piazza San Pietro in Vincoli 4a
From the Chaplin Bed and Breakfast take the metro line B from Rome Termini to Cavour (1 stop). Walk downhill on the left side of the street till you come to steps on the left. At the top of the steps you will find Saint Peter in Chains. It is of course much nicer to walk: from the Chaplin hostel go to Rome Termini, walk across the main hallway, turn right when you are outside and then left at the traffic lights onto Via Cavour.
From the Bed and Breakfast Little Italy: turn right on Via Ferruccio and then left at the end of the street. Cross the road and walk down Via Giovanni Lanza till you come to Via Cavour. Stay on the left side of the street till you come to the aforementioned steps.
