The Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome is a receptacle of artistic treasures, such as the famous Moses by Michelangelo but, above all, it is the protagonist of one of the best known miracles of the first Christian communities. Here is a further example of how a place of worship like this is, in reality, a very interesting building from many points of view: historical, archaeological, cultural and artistic. Taking tourists on one of my tours means savoring the very essence of Rome. Let's see together why.

Built in 452 AD, on top of a pre-existing basilica called, according to the documents, Basilica Apostolorum, as often happens in Rome this place of worship rests on a real historical substratum! Under the floor, since the 1960s when the new excavations began, remains of buildings from the third century AD (perhaps a domus ecclesia), from the first century AD (the cryptoporticus perhaps belonging to Nero 's Domus Aurea) were found, and remains of Republican age buildings (up to the 4th century BC). But in addition to what is below, the basilica has a real treasure above, clearly visible under the altar. As you approach, you will see iron chains kept in a case. Those are the so-called vincula (chains in Latin), which give the basilica its name and which would have had to do with St. Peter! According to the tradition Eudocia, Bizantine Empress and wife of the Bizantine emperor Theodosius II, received as a gift from the patriarch of Jerusalem the chains that would have bound Saint Peter during his imprisonment in the Holy Land (before his escape, always according to tradition, with the help of an angel, also shown by Raphael in one of his admirable frescoes). Eudocia, therefore, would have given this precious relic to her daughter Eudoxia, who lived in Rome as she was the wife of the Western Emperor, Valentinian III. Eudoxia, a pious woman, donated these chains to pope Leo the Great who already owned the chains that would have bound St. Peter during his imprisonment in Rome, at the Mamertine Prison. And, miraculously, the two different chains fused together. A miracle certainly, which will lead the pope to erect this basilica to preserve them. Renovated during the Middle Ages, the basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli was a place dear above all to the Della Rovere family who, between the end of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, gave two famous popes to the Church: Sixtus IV and Julius II. Both, more or less, made sure to restore the place of worship.

But there are many surprises in the basilica, starting with the central eighteenth-century fresco by Parodi. Here we see one of the miracles ascribed to the chains when, with their saving power, they freed a count from evil following Emperor Otto I (you can see the black creatures flying away, in contrast with the blue sky). Finally, it is worth mentioning how here you can also find works by Guercino, Domenichino and tombs from the Baroque age. Then of course there is Michelangelo's Moses, which deserves a separate chapter for the extraordinary strength it seems to emanate. Part of a project that was never really completed, that of the Tomb of Julius II for which Michelangelo suffered so much, it is that mighty marble statue representing a frowning but at the same time reflective Moses that captures all our attention. It would be so perfect that, according to tradition, in a fit of anger Michelangelo, throwing a hammer on the right knee of the statue, would have exclaimed: "Why don't you speak ?". Here, this short anecdote is enough to understand which masterpiece you have in front of you and how much the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome deserves all your attention.