San Pietro in Vincoli (; Saint Peter in Chains) is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, best known for being the home of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

's statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. The ''

Titulus Titulus, the Latin word for "title", "label" or "inscription" (plural ''tituli'', normally italicized), may or may not be italicized as a foreign word, and may refer to: * ''Titulus'', or Titular church, one of a group of Early Christian churches ...

S. Petri ad vincula'' was assigned on 20 November 2010, to Donald Wuerl. The previous Cardinal Priest of the basilica was

Pío Laghi Pio Laghi (21 May 1922 – 10 January 2009) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. His service was primarily in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and the Roman Curia. He served as Apostolic nuncio to several countries and as the P ...

, who died on 11 January 2009. Next to the church is hosted the Faculty of Engineering of La Sapienza University, in the former associated convent. This is named "San Pietro in Vincoli" ''per antonomasia''. The church is on the

Oppian Hill The Oppian Hill (Latin, ''Oppius Mons''; it, Colle Oppio) is the southern spur of the Esquiline Hill, one of the Seven hills of Rome, Italy. It is separated from the Cispius on the north by the valley of the Suburra, and from the Caelian Hill ...

near Cavour metro station, a short distance from the Colosseum.

History

San Pietro in Vincoli - ceiling, Rome retouched

Also known as the Basilica Eudoxiana ( it, Basilica Eudossiana, it was first rebuilt on older foundations in 432–440 to house the

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

of the chains that bound Saint Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem, the episode called " Liberation of Saint Peter". The Empress Eudoxia (wife of Emperor Valentinian III), who received them as a gift from her mother, Aelia Eudocia, presented the chains to Pope Leo I. Aelia Eudocia had received these chains as a gift from Iuvenalis, bishop of Jerusalem. According to legend, when Leo compared them to the chains of St. Peter's final imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison, in Rome, the two chains miraculously fused together. The chains are now kept in a

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...

under the main altar in the basilica. A chain link outside of Rome is in St Peter's Church, Rutland, Vermont. Numerous churches to saint Peter bear the ''Ad Vincula'' suffix, relating them to the relic, basilica and enchainment of the Roman church-founding saint. The basilica, consecrated in 439 by Sixtus III, has undergone several restorations, among them a restoration by Pope Adrian I, and further work in the eleventh century. From 1471 to 1503, in which year he was elected Pope Julius II, Cardinal Della Rovere, the nephew of

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

, effected notable rebuilding. The front

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

, attributed to Baccio Pontelli, was added in 1475. The cloister (1493–1503) has been attributed to Giuliano da Sangallo. Further work was done at the beginning of the 18th century, under Francesco Fontana, and another renovation in 1875.

Interior

The interior has a nave and two aisles, with three apses divided by antique Doric columns. The aisles are surmounted by cross-vaults, while the nave has an 18th-century coffered

ceiling A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limits of a room. It is not generally considered a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the roof structure or the floor of a story above. Ceilings ...

, frescoed in the center by

Giovanni Battista Parodi Giovanni Battista Parodi (1674–1730) was an Italian painter, born in Genoa. He belonged to an Italian family of artists. His father was the sculptor and wood-carver Filippo Parodi (1630–1702). His brother was Domenico Parodi (1672–1742), a ...

, portraying the ''Miracle of the Chains'' (1706). In this scene, Pope Alexander heals the neck goiter of

Saint Balbina Balbina of Rome ( la, bahl-BEE-nə), sometimes called Saint Balbina and Balbina the Virgin is venerated as a virgin martyr and saint of the Catholic Church. Legend The story of Balbina is introduced in the legendary Acts of Sts. Alexander an ...

by touching her with the chains that once bound St Peter. 'Moses' by Michelangelo JBU140

Michelangelo's ''Moses'' (completed in 1515), while originally intended as part of a massive 47-statue, free-standing funeral monument for Pope Julius II, became the centerpiece of the Pope's funeral monument and tomb in this, the church of della Rovere family. Moses is depicted with horns, connoting "the radiance of the Lord", due to the similarity in the Hebrew words for "beams of light" and "horns". This kind of iconographic symbolism was common in early sacred art, and for an artist horns are easier to sculpt than rays of light. Other works of art include two canvases of ''Saint Augustine'' and ''St. Margaret'' by Guercino, the monument of

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Girolamo Agucchi Girolamo Agucchi (15 January 1555 – 27 April 1605) was a Catholic cardinal from 1604 to 1605. Biography Agucchi was born in Bologna on January 15, 1555, the son of Gian Giorgio Agucchi and Isabella Sega. His mother was the sister of Cardinal F ...

designed by Domenichino, who is also the painter of a sacristy fresco depicting the ''Liberation of St. Peter'' (1604). The

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

on the first chapel to the left is a '' Deposition'' by

Cristoforo Roncalli Cristoforo Roncalli (c. 1552–1626) was an Italian mannerist painter. He was one of the three painters known as ''Pomarancio'' or ''Il Pomarancio''. Life Roncalli was born in Pomarance, a town near Volterra. His training occurred ...

. The tomb of Cardinal Nicholas of Kues (d 1464), with its relief, ''Cardinal Nicholas before St Peter'', is by Andrea Bregno. Painter and sculptor Antonio del Pollaiuolo is buried at the left side of the entrance. He is the Florentine sculptor who added the figures of

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf suckling the ...

to the sculpture of the

Capitoline Wolf The Capitoline Wolf (Italian: ''Lupa Capitolina'') is a bronze sculpture depicting a scene from the legend of the founding of Rome. The sculpture shows a she-wolf suckling the mythical twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. According to the ...

on the Capitol. The tomb monument of Cardinal

Cinzio Aldobrandini Cinzio Aldobrandini (1551 – 1 January 1610) was an Italian cardinal. Name In some documents he is known as Cinzio Personeni Aldobrandini or Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini because, after settling in Romagna, the family varied its name according to ...

was erected 1705–07 by prince Giovanni Battista Pamphili Aldobrandini to a design by his architect Carlo Francesco Bizzaccheri and with the sculptures of putti and a winged skeleton by Pierre Le Gros the Younger. In 1876 archeologists discovered the tombs of those once believed to be the seven Maccabean martyrs depicted in 2 Maccabees 7–41. It is highly unlikely that these are in fact the Jewish martyrs that had offered their lives in Jerusalem. They are remembered each year on 1 August, the same day as the miracle of the fusing of the two chains. The third altar in the left aisle holds a mosaic of Saint Sebastian from the seventh century. This mosaic is related to an outbreak of plague in Pavia, in northern Italy. The relics of Sebastian were taken there in order to stop a 680 outbreak of plague, since Sebastian was believed to have been born in Lombardy, and an altar was constructed for his relics at a San Pietro in Vincoli in Pavia. As a symbol of the subsequently reinforced relationship between Pavia and Rome, an identical altar to Sebastian was built at the Roman church of the same name, resulting in a parallel cult for the saint in both regions.

Gallery

File:'Moses' by Michelangelo JBU010.jpg,

's tomb for Julius II File:Roma san pietro in vincoli catene.jpg,

Reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...

containing the chains of

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

File:Sanpietroinvincoli.jpg, Frescos by

Giacomo Coppi Jacopo Coppi, also called ''Giacomo Coppi'' or "'Jacopo del Meglio'" ("the Best") (Peretola, 1546 1591) was an Italian painter, mainly active in Florence and Rome in a Mannerist style. Other sources call him Giacinto Coppi. Biography He was ...

(1577) in the raised tribune File:San Pietro in Vincoli - Tomba del Card. Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini 1.jpg, Tomb of Cardinal Cinzio Aldobrandini by Bizzaccheri and Le Gros File:S. Pietro in Vincoli 017.JPG, Mosaic of

St. Sebastian Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbonne, Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Roman Italy, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional beli ...

File:S. Pietro in Vincoli 021.JPG, Tomb with relief "Cardinal Nicholas before St Peter" by Andrea Bregno

List of Cardinal-Priests since 1405

List of the cardinals titular of the church :... * Deusdedit (c. 1078 – c. 1098) * Albericus (attested 1100) * Benedictus (c. 1102 – c. 1127) * Matthaeus (c. 1127 – c. 1137) * Comes (1138 – 1139) * Guillelmus of Pavia (1158 – 1176) Zenker, pp. 118–123. :... * Antonio Arcioni (12 June 1405 – 21 July 1405) * Antonio Correr (9 May 1408 – 9 May 1409) * João Afonso Esteves da Azambuja (6 June 1411 – 23 January 1415) *

Juan de Cervantes Juan de Cervantes (c. 1380 or 1382 in Seville, Spain – 25 November 1453, buried in Seville Cathedral) was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. Cervantes studied at the University of Salamanca and obtained a doctorate in civil and canon la ...

(27 May 1426 – 27 March 1447) * Nicholas of Cusa (3 January 1449 – 12 August 1464) * Francesco della Rovere (20 November 1467 – 10 August 1471) * Giuliano della Rovere (22 December 1471 – 1 November 1503) * Galeotto Franciotti della Rovere (6 December 1503 – 11 September 1507) * Sisto Gara della Rovere (11 September 1507 – 8 March 1517) * Leonardo Grosso della Rovere (9 March 1517 – 17 September 1520) * Silvio Passerini (17 September 1520 – 5 January 1521) * Albrecht von Brandenburg (5 January 1521 – 24 September 1545) * Jacopo Sadoleto (27 November 1545 – 18 October 1547) * Jean du Bellay (26 October 1547 – 9 April 1548) * Giulio della Rovere (9 April 1548 – 12 April 1570) *

Antoine Perrenot de Granvella Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle (20 August 151721 September 1586), Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, was a Bisontin (Free Imperial City of Besançon) statesman, made a cardinal, who followed his father as a leading minister of the Spanish Habsburg ...

(9 June 1570 – 9 July 1578) * Giovanni Antonio Serbelloni (12 April 1570 – 9 June 1570) *

Markus Sitticus von Hohenems Altemps Mark Sittich von Hohenems Altemps (1533–1595) was a German Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. The addition of ''Altemps'' to the family name reflects ''Alt-Ems'' (or ''Alt-Embs'') itself deriving from "Alta Embs" (Latin for "altus" = high), lik ...

(3 October 1578 – 17 August 1579) * Stanislaus Hosius (9 July 1578 – 3 October 1578) *

Alfonso Gesualdo Alfonso Gesualdo di Conza (20 October 1540 – 14 February 1603) was an Italian Cardinal starting in 1561. He was from Calitri, not far from Naples. His attendance at the papal conclave of 1565-1566 at the age of only 25 makes him one of the you ...

(17 August 1579 – 5 December 1580) * Marco Antonio Colonna (5 December 1580 – 13 October 1586) * Girolamo della Rovere (14 January 1587 – 7 February 1592) *

Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici Pope Leo XI ( it, Leone XI; 2 June 153527 April 1605), born Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 April 1605 to his death in April 1605. His pontificate is one of the briefest in his ...

(14 February 1592 – 21 February 1600) *

François de Joyeuse François de Joyeuse (24 June 1562 – 23 August 1615) was a French churchman and politician. Biography Born at Carcassonne, François de Joyeuse was the second son of Guillaume de Joyeuse and Marie Eléanor de Batarnay. As the younger son of a ...

(27 April 1594 – 24 March 1604) * Girolamo Agucchi (25 June 1604 – 27 April 1605) * Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini (1 June 1605 – 1 January 1610) * Lanfranco Margotti (11 January 1610 – 28 February 1611) * Bartolomeo Cesi (5 December 1611 – 7 January 1613) * Bonifazio Bevilacqua Aldobrandini (7 January 1613 – 29 March 1621) *

Michelangelo Tonti Michelangelo Tonti (1566–1622) was a Roman Catholic cardinal. Biography On 16 Nov 1608, he was consecrated bishop by Fabio Blondus de Montealto, Fabio Biondi, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem#Titular Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Titular P ...

(13 October 1621 – 21 April 1622) *

François d'Escoubleau de Sourdis François d'Escoubleau de Sourdis (25 October 1574 – 1628) was a French Catholic prelate, the Archbishop of Bordeaux and founder of the Irish College there in 1603. Biography He was born at Châtillon-sur-Sèvre in Poitou, the eldest son of F ...

(29 March 1621 – 13 October 1621) *

Luigi Capponi Luigi Capponi (1582 – 6 April 1659) was an Italian Catholic cardinal who became archbishop of Ravenna. Biography Capponi was born in 1582, the son of Senator Francesco Capponi and Ludovica Macchiavelli. The Capponi family had extensive links ...

(2 May 1622 – 20 August 1629) *

Laudivio Zacchia Laudivio Zacchia (1565 – 30 August 1637) was an Italian Catholic cardinal.S. Miranda:
Laudivio Z ...

(17 September 1629 – 30 August 1637) * Antonio Barberini (7 September 1637 – 26 May 1642) *

Bernardino Spada Bernardino Spada (21 April 1594 – 10 November 1661) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a patron of the arts whose collection is housed in the Palazzo Spada in Rome. Early life Spada was born in Brisighella, current provi ...

(22 May 1642 – 19 February 1646) *

Marzio Ginetti Marzio Ginetti (6 April 1585 – 1 March 1671) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Cardinal Vicar of Rome. Early life Ginetti was born in Velletri, the son of a labourer. He was sent to Rome at a very young age to be educated and tried to make ...

(19 February 1646 – 23 September 1652) *

Giovanni Battista Maria Pallotta Giovanni Battista Maria Pallotta (also Palotta or Palotto) (23 January, 1594 – 22 January, 1668) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. Early life Pallotta was born in 1594 in Caldarola to a well respected family. He was the nephew of Cardinal G ...

(23 September 1652 – 21 April 1659) * Ulderico Carpegna (21 April 1659 – 21 November 1661) * Alderano Cybo (21 November 1661 – 24 May 1676) *

Emmanuel Théodose de la Tour d'Auvergne de Bouillon Emmanuel-Théodose de La Tour d'Auvergne, cardinal de Bouillon (24 August 1643 – 2 March 1715, Rome) was a French prelate and diplomat. Biography Originally known as the Duc d'Albret, he was the son of Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne ...

(19 October 1676 – 19 October 1689) * Savo Millini (12 December 1689 – 10 February 1701) *

Pierre de Bonzi Piero de Bonzi (also ''Pierre''; 15 April 1631 - 11 July 1703) was an Italian-French Roman Catholic cardinal. His last name is also listed as Bonsi. Biography left, Coat of arms of Pierre de Bonzy - Staircase of the palace of the Archbishops of ...

(19 October 1689 – 28 November 1689) * Marcello Durazzo (21 February 1701 – 27 April 1710) * Fulvio Astalli (7 May 1710 – 16 April 1714) * Ferdinando d'Adda (16 April 1714 – 21 January 1715) * Lorenzo Casoni (21 January 1715 – 19 November 1720) * Lorenzo Corsini (16 December 1720 – 19 November 1725) * Gianantonio Davia (19 November 1725 – 11 February 1737) * Vincenzo Petra (11 February 1737 – 16 September 1740) * Francesco Antonio Finy (16 September 1740 – 11 March 1743) * Nicolò Maria Lercari (11 March 1743 – 21 March 1757) * Antonio Andrea Galli (23 May 1757 – 24 March 1767) * Gaetano Fantuzzi Gottifredi (6 April 1767 – 1 October 1778) * Lazzaro Opizio Pallavicino (14 December 1778 – 23 February 1785) *

Giuseppe Doria Pamphili Giuseppe Maria Doria Pamphili (born 11 November 1751 in Genoa, the capital of the Republic of Genoa – died on 8 February 1816 in Rome) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Cardinal Secretary of State. Biography Giusepp ...

(11 April 1785 – 20 September 1802) * Girolamo Della Porta (20 September 1802 – 5 September 1812) * Tommaso Arezzo (29 April 1816 – 29 May 1820) * Paolo Giuseppe Solaro (24 November 1823 – 9 September 1824) * Joachim-Jean-Xavier d’Isoard (17 September 1827 – 15 April 1833) * Castruccio Castracane degli Antelminelli (29 July 1833 – 22 January 1844) * Niccola Paracciani Clarelli (25 January 1844 – 22 February 1867) * Luis de la Lastra y Cuesta (12 July 1867 – 5 May 1876) *

Giovanni Simeoni Giovanni Simeoni (July 12, 1816 – January 14, 1892) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Propagation of the Faith from 1878 until his death, and was elevated to the card ...

(18 December 1876 – 14 January 1892) * Ignatius Persico (19 January 1893 – 7 December 1895) *

Adolphe Perraud Adolphe Louis Albert Perraud (7 February 1828 – 10 February 1906) was a French Cardinal and academician. Biography Perraud was born in Lyon to Leopold Perraud and Aglae Delametherie. A brilliant student at the lycées Henri IV and St Loui ...

(25 June 1896 – 10 February 1906) * Désiré-Joseph Mercier (18 April 1907 – 23 January 1926) *

Luigi Capotosti Luigi Capotosti (February 23, 1863 – February 16, 1938) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Datary from 1933 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1926. Biography Luigi Capotost ...

(24 June 1926 – 16 February 1938) * Teodósio de Gouveia (22 February 1946 – 6 February 1962) * Leo Joseph Suenens (22 March 1962 – 6 May 1996) *

Jean Marie Balland Jean Marie Julien Balland (26 July 1934 in Bué, Cher, France – 1 March 1998 in Lyon) was a Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Lyon. Early life He entered the seminary and later attended the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where ...

(21 February 1998 – 1 March 1998) * Louis-Marie Billé (21 February 2001 – 22 July 2001) *

Pio Laghi Pio Laghi (21 May 1922 – 10 January 2009) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. His service was primarily in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and the Roman Curia. He served as Apostolic nuncio to several countries and as the P ...

(26 February 2002 – 10 January 2009) * Donald Wuerl (20 November 2010 – present)

References

Bibliography

*Federico Gizzi, ''Le chiese medievali di Roma'', Newton Compton/Rome, 1998.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:San Pietro in Vincoli Pietro in Vincoli Sites of papal elections Pietro in Vincoli 5th-century churches Burial places of popes Renaissance architecture in Rome Pietro in Vincoli