# San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome

> San Pietro in Vincoli — St Peter in Chains — is a 5th-century basilica ten minutes from the Colosseum. It keeps the chains said to have bound the Apostle Peter, and one of Michelangelo's masterpieces: the statue of Moses on the tomb of Pope Julius II. Entry is free; it opens in the morning and late afternoon, and 20–30 minutes is enough.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-pietro-in-vincoli

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 48/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 20 min
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entry: Free
- Opening hours: ≈ 8:00–12:30 and 15:00–18:00, closed midday
- 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
- Coordinates: 41.89387, 12.49307
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **AD 439** — the basilica was consecrated under Pope Sixtus III (source: English Wikipedia)
- **The chains** — of St Peter lie in a reliquary beneath the high altar (source: English Wikipedia)
- **c. 1513–1515** — Michelangelo carved the Moses (source: English Wikipedia)
- **2.35 m** — height of the seated Moses (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Leah and Rachel** — the flanking statues are also by Michelangelo (source: English Wikipedia)

## Michelangelo'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.

> **Seeing Moses well** The statue is behind a rail and lit by a coin-operated lamp, so carry €1–2 in change. The most striking angle is from the left, catching the turn of the head and the hand in the beard. The church closes at midday — come in the morning or late afternoon.

## How to get to San Pietro in Vincoli

1. Metro line B to **Cavour**, then 5 minutes up the Salita dei Borgia steps.
2. From the [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum), 10 minutes' walk through Colle Oppio park.
3. From the [Domus Aurea](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/domus-aurea), 7 minutes.
4. 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

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Check the hours — closed at midday
- [ ] Bring a coin for the lights
- [ ] Cover shoulders and knees
- [ ] See the chains under the altar
- [ ] Pair with the Colosseum and Monti

## Rome's churches: compare and choose

Churches and basilicas in Rome rated by YesGo.

- [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon) — YesGo score 82/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · ≈ €5
- [St Peter's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-peters-basilica) — YesGo score 71/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free; dome ≈ €8–15
- [Sistine Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sistine-chapel) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25
- [Archbasilica of St John Lateran](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/lateran-basilica) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; cloister ≈ €5
- [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free
- [Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/st-paul-outside-the-walls) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free
- [Church of the Gesù](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/church-of-the-gesu) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Sant'Ignazio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sant-ignazio) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Santa Maria sopra Minerva](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-sopra-minerva) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Santa Maria in Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-in-trastevere) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2
- [San Pietro in Vincoli](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-pietro-in-vincoli) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Catacombs of Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/rome-catacombs) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €10–12 with guide
- [San Luigi dei Francesi](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-luigi-dei-francesi) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Santa Maria della Vittoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-della-vittoria) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-carlo-alle-quattro-fontane) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Tempietto](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/tempietto) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Santa Sabina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-sabina) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free
- [Baths of Diocletian](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/baths-of-diocletian) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12
- [Basilica of San Clemente](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-clemente) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12

## The Colosseum and Moses

The Colosseum at opening, then through Colle Oppio park to San Pietro in Vincoli and on to Santa Maria Maggiore.

1. [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ≈ €18
2. [San Pietro in Vincoli](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-pietro-in-vincoli) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
3. [Santa Maria Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/santa-maria-maggiore) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free

## Don't mix it up

San Pietro in Vincoli isn't St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican: it's a separate church near the Colosseum, home to the chains and to Moses.

## Tips

- 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.

## How we checked

History of the basilica, the chains and Julius II's tomb from English Wikipedia. Opening hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge.

## Sources

- English Wikipedia, San Pietro in Vincoli and Moses (Michelangelo)

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