San Pietro in Vincoli
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Michelangelo's Moses statue in the basilica. |
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Interior of the basilica. |
San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) is a
basilica in
Rome,
Italy. It is most famous for housing
Michelangelo's statue
Moses.
The basilica was first built in the middle of the
5th Century to house the
relic of the chains that bound
Saint Peter while imprisoned in
Jerusalem. According to legend, when Empress
Eudoxia (wife of Emperor
Valentinian III) gave
Pope Leo I the chains as a gift, he compared them to the chains of St. Peter's first imprisonment in the
Mamertine Prison in Rome and the two chains miraculously fused together. The chains are kept in a
reliquary under the main altar in the basilica.
The basilica underwent several restorations and rebuildings in its life, among them a restoration by
Pope Adrian I, a rebuilding by
Pope Sixtus IV and another by
Pope Julius II. There was also a renovation in
1875.
The front portico, attributed to
Baccio Pontelli, was added in
1475.
The interior has a nave and two aisles, with three apses divided by antique
Doric-style columns. The aisles are surmounted by cross-vaults, while the nave has a 18th century lacunar ceiling. In the centre of the latter is a fresco by
Giovanbattista Parodi, portraying the
Miracle of the Chains.
Michelangelo's
Moses, which dates from
1515, is the most notable piece of artwork in the basilica. Originally intended as part of a 47-statue free-standing funeral monument for
Pope Julius II, "Moses" became the Pope's funeral monument and tomb in his family's church. Unfortunately, Moses is depicted with
satyr's horns, as opposed to "the radiance of the Lord", due to a
mediaeval mistranslation.
Other art works include two canvas of
Saint Augustine and
St. Margret by
Guercino, the monument of cardinal Agucchi designed by
Domenichino (also author of a canvas depicting the
Liberation of St. Peter). The cloister (1493-1503) has been attributed to
Giuliano da Sangallo.
Painter and sculptor
Antonio Pollaiuolo is buried here.
The current
Cardinal Priest of the
Titulus S. Petri ad vincula is
Pío Cardinal Laghi.
*Federico Gizzi,
Le chiese medievali di Roma, Newton Compton, Rome, 1998.
*
San Pietro in Vincoli at romecity.it
