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San Pietro in Vincoli Review
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San Pietro in Vincoli
- Address: Piazza San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome | Map It
- Phone: 06/4882865
- Category: Religious Sites
- Location: Monti
Fodor's Review:
What has put this otherwise unprepossessing church on the map is the monumental statue of Moses carved by Michelangelo in the early 16th century for the never-completed tomb of his patron, Pope Julius II, which was to include dozens of statues and stand nearly 40 feet tall when installed in St. Peter's Basilica. Only three statues -- Moses and the two that flank it here, Leah and Rachel -- had been completed when Julius died. His successor as pope, from a rival family, had other plans for Michelangelo, and Julius's tomb was abandoned unfinished. The fierce power of this remarkable sculpture dominates its setting. People say that you can see the sculptor's profile in the lock of Moses' beard right under his lip, and that the pope's profile is also there somewhere. But don't let the search distract you from the overall effect of this marvelously energetic work. As for the rest of the church, St. Peter, after whom the church is named, takes second billing to Moses. What are reputed to be the chains (vincoli) that bound St. Peter during his imprisonment by the Romans in Jerusalem are in a bronze and crystal urn under the main altar. Other treasures in the church include a 7th-century mosaic of St. Sebastian, in front of the second altar to the left of the main altar, and, by the door, the tomb of the Pollaiuolo brothers, two lesser 15th-century Florentine artists.
- Open: Daily 7-12:30 and 3:30-6, until 7 May-Sept.
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