If one can put any stock in Erasmus’ satire of Pope Julius II arguing at the gates of heaven upon death, then it is possible to hear the bellicose Renaissance pope denouncing Michelangelo for not completing the elaborate marble tomb that was to stand as a fitting monument to the “warrior pope.” Michelangelo’s much smaller monument, featuring his Moses sculpture, is in the Basilica San Pietro in Vincoli, located in a nondescript Roman neighborhood a few blocks from the Colosseum. The remains of Julius, however, are still in St Peter’s Basilica, also in a nondescript spot in the great cathedral floor.
Saint Peter in Chains Basilica – San Pietro in Vincoli
Great churches are still identified with important relics. Pilgrims as well as everyday visitors comprise a group of travelers participating in religious-tourism. St Peter in Chains is “off the beaten path” and considered a minor basilica but houses, as the name implies, the chains used to bind Peter, one of the twelve disciples and traditionally the first pontiff. Discovered in Jerusalem, as many early relics were, the chains were placed in the Basilica in the fifth century. The present Basilica, although founded in the early fifth century, had been rebuilt over a much older church. It was renovated in the nineteenth century.
For historians and artists, the lure of the Basilica comes from Michelangelo’s Moses, part of the intended tomb of Julius II, located in the transept of the church. The original mausoleum project was to have been an extension of his work in the Sistine Chapel and was to include a ten-foot high statue of Pope Julius II. The final sculptures in San Pietro in Vincoli were sub-contracted by Michelangelo, perhaps a testament to his often stormy relations with his erratic patron Julius.
The portico of the Basilica was also constructed through the patronage of Julius while he was still Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, although the architect is not definitively known. Though speculative, Michelangelo may have moved the tomb to the minor basilica as a final ironic act in memory of his relationship with Julius. It was completed in 1545; Julius died in 1513. The Basilica also houses relics of the Maccabees.
Getting to St Peter in Chains
San Pietro in Vincoli is located off of the Via Cavour near the Colosseum and should not be confused with the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which is directly on the Via Cavour not far from Termini and many of the hotels used by tourists. From the Via Cavour, visitors should climb the steps leading to the piazza. These directions are noted in signs on the Via Cavour. The Basilica can also be found off of Via Del Annibaldi if coming from the Colosseum. There is no entry fee but the Basilica closes daily from 12:30 – 3:30.
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