St. Peter’s Basilica is undoubtedly the best known church in the world. Located in Vatican City, it dominates the Roman skyline with its majestic dome designed by Michelangelo.
Built between 1506 and 1626 to designs by great masters such as Donato Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, it is a masterpiece of Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture. But in the Eternal City there is another church to discover with a similar name….
The beautiful little-known church
The Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli, also known as the Basilica Eudossiana, is one of the most historic and artistically significant churches in Rome, located in the Monti district. Its name means “St. Peter in Chains” and derives from the presence of the chains that, according to tradition, imprisoned the apostle Peter during his imprisonment in Jerusalem.
It was built in the fifth century (between 442 and 470) at the behest of Empress Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of Theodosius II, to guard these chains, traditionally considered a miracle because they merged irreversibly with other chains preserved in the Mamertine Prison in Rome.
It is a church rich in art and history, most famous for housing Michelangelo’s Moses, a 2.32-meter-high Renaissance masterpiece, part of a monumental mausoleum project for Pope Julius II that was never completed in its original form.
The basilica also preserves mosaics, frescoes, historic tombs and an underground archaeological complex with vestiges of a Roman domus, part of Nero’s Domus Transitoria. Of great note are the 16th-century facade and the portico with five arches, with capitals decorated with the coat of arms of Pope Julius II.
San Pietro in Vincoli is thus a place that combines faith, art and archaeology, a hidden jewel in the heart of Rome that offers a rich and deeply evocative experience, less well-known than St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, but of enormous cultural and spiritual value. Perfect for those who want to discover less crowded but equally extraordinary corners of the city.
Where: Piazza di San Pietro in Vincoli, 4/a, 00184 Rome. It is open daily with closing at lunchtime. For more information: sanpietroinvincoli@lateranensi.org.