Domus Aurea
Rome, Italy
San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome
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Photo: Patrick Nouhailler, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Free
- Opening hours
- ≈ 8:00–12:30 and 15:00–18:00, closed midday
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 20 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Highlights
- Michelangelo's Moses and the chains of St Peter
- Lighting
- Coin-operated lights for the statue
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Location
- Oppian Hill; Metro B Cavour, 5 minutes up the steps
Key facts
AD 439the basilica was consecrated under Pope Sixtus III
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English WikipediaThe chainsof St Peter lie in a reliquary beneath the high altar
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English Wikipediac. 1513–1515Michelangelo carved the Moses
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English Wikipedia2.35 mheight of the seated Moses
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English WikipediaLeah and Rachelthe flanking statues are also by Michelangelo
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English WikipediaMichelangelo's Moses
The reason to come is Michelangelo's Moses, centrepiece of the tomb of Pope Julius II. The pope had commissioned a colossal mausoleum with forty statues for St Peter's, but the project was cut back over decades and finally installed here in reduced form. Michelangelo carved Moses around 1513–1515: the prophet sits with the tablets of the Law, head turned, looking as if he's about to rise.
Moses has horns — from a Latin Bible translation of a Hebrew word meaning 'radiant'. Legend says Michelangelo struck the knee with his hammer when he finished and demanded, 'Why don't you speak?' Beside him stand two more of his statues, Leah and Rachel, symbols of the active and contemplative life; the upper tier was finished by assistants. Julius II himself is buried in St Peter's.
St Peter's chains
The basilica was consecrated in 439 under Pope Sixtus III to hold the chains said to have bound St Peter in Jerusalem and in Rome. Legend says the two sets, brought from different cities, fused miraculously into one. They lie in a gilded reliquary beneath the high altar, visible behind glass. The nave has twenty ancient Doric columns and a Baroque ceiling fresco of the miracle.
The tomb that never was
The 1505 design was colossal — a free-standing, three-tier marble mausoleum with forty life-size statues for the new St Peter's. Julius II diverted the money to the basilica itself and sent Michelangelo off to paint the Sistine Chapel. After the pope's death, contract after contract shrank the project over nearly forty years; Michelangelo called it 'the tragedy of the tomb'. Two Slaves made for it are now in the Louvre, and four unfinished Prisoners in Florence's Accademia.
What to see
- Michelangelo's Moses — in the right aisle, on Julius II's tomb.
- Leah and Rachel — the statues either side.
- St Peter's chains — in the reliquary below the high altar.
- Ancient columns — twenty Doric columns lining the nave.
- St Sebastian mosaic — 7th century, left aisle.
- Tomb of the Pollaiuolo brothers — Florentine Renaissance artists.
How to get to San Pietro in Vincoli
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Domus Aurea is about 9 min away on foot.
- Colosseum is about 9 min away on foot.
- Catacombs of Rome is about 7 min away on foot.
More tips
- Metro line B to Cavour, then 5 minutes up the Salita dei Borgia steps.
- From the Colosseum, 10 minutes' walk through Colle Oppio park.
- From the Domus Aurea, 7 minutes.
- Buses 75 and 117 stop on Via Cavour or Via dei Serpenti.
Is it worth visiting?
Yes — a Michelangelo masterpiece you can see for free, with hardly anyone around, ten minutes from the Colosseum. Twenty minutes is enough to stand before Moses, study Leah and Rachel and look at the chains. It makes a good stop between the Colosseum and the cafés of the Monti district. Cover shoulders and knees.
Before you go
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Rome's churches: compare and choose
Churches and basilicas in Rome rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Pantheon | 82 | 30 min | ≈ €5 | 25 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peter's Basilica | 71 | 1 h 30 min | Free; dome ≈ €8–15 | 3.4 km |
| Sistine Chapel | 64 | 30 min | Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25 | 3.4 km |
| Archbasilica of St John Lateran | 64 | 45 min | Free | 24 min walk |
| Santa Maria Maggiore | 62 | 40 min | Free | 11 min walk |
| Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls | 57 | 45 min | Free | 4.1 km |
| Church of the Gesù | 53 | 30 min | Free | 20 min walk |
| Sant'Ignazio | 51 | 30 min | Free | 22 min walk |
| Santa Maria sopra Minerva | 51 | 30 min | Free | 23 min walk |
| Piazza del Popolo | 50 | 30 min | Free | 40 min walk |
| Santa Maria in Trastevere | 50 | 30 min | Free | 35 min walk |
| Mouth of Truth | 49 | 20 min | Donation ≈ €2 | 20 min walk |
| San Pietro in Vincoliyou are here | 48 | 20 min | Free | — |
| Catacombs of Rome | 48 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €10–12 with guide | 8 min walk |
| San Luigi dei Francesi | 47 | 20 min | Free | 29 min walk |
| Santa Maria della Vittoria | 46 | 20 min | Free | 21 min walk |
| San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane | 46 | 20 min | Free | 16 min walk |
| Tempietto | 45 | 20 min | Free | 39 min walk |
| Santa Sabina | 45 | 20 min | Free | 26 min walk |
| Trastevere | 44 | 2 h | Free | 41 min walk |
| Baths of Diocletian | 42 | 1 h | Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12 | 19 min walk |
| Basilica of San Clemente | 39 | 1 h | Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12 | 11 min walk |
The Colosseum and Moses
The Colosseum at opening, then through Colle Oppio park to San Pietro in Vincoli and on to Santa Maria Maggiore.
- Colosseum2 h · ≈ €18
- 7 min walk from the previous stopSan Pietro in Vincoliyou are here20 min · Free
- 11 min walk from the previous stopSanta Maria Maggiore40 min · Free
3 places · about 3 h 18 min with walks · 18 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- Moses is free and rarely crowded.
- A coin switches on the lights.
- Closed at lunchtime.
- From Cavour metro, climb the steps under the Borgia arch.
Questions
Where is Michelangelo's Moses?
In San Pietro in Vincoli near the Colosseum, on the tomb of Pope Julius II.
Is San Pietro in Vincoli free?
Yes; the statue's lighting costs a coin.
What are the opening hours?
Roughly 8:00–12:30 and 15:00–18:00.
Why does Moses have horns?
From a Latin Bible translation of a Hebrew word meaning 'radiant'.
What are the chains of St Peter?
Chains said to have bound the Apostle, kept beneath the high altar.
How do I get there?
Metro B to Cavour and up the steps, or a 10-minute walk from the Colosseum.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia, San Pietro in Vincoli and Moses (Michelangelo)
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