Also known as ‘St. Peter in Chains’, the church was built in the 5th century to house the shackles which people believe St. Peter was bound and imprisoned with in Jerusalem. The basilica is also famous for its sculpture of Michelangelo’s Moses but the main reason for my visit was to see the monuments to Cinzio Aldobrandini and Mariano Pietro Vecchiarelli, which both showcase some very impressive memento mori carvings.

These two extraordinary funerary memorials can be found along the left-hand side of the church. The tomb to Cinzio Aldobrandini can be seen first with a winged grimacing reaper standing over the casket holding a scythe in one hand and an hourglass in the other. The impressive monument was designed by Carlo Bizzacheri in 1705; with such attention to detail, it made it one of the best macabre carvings I found whilst in Rome. Interestingly, Aldobrandini is not named on the memorial, but the family crest is carved above the skeleton to note who is buried here.

Take a few more steps to discover the tomb of Mariano Pietro Vecchiarelli which dates to 1639 (unfortunately there are no records listing the artist who created this piece). Decorating the façade, are two twin full-length skeletons which hold a marble effigy of the deceased in their boney fingers. Underneath the portrait, a memorial paying homage to his religious work, is carved into a black drape.

Preserved beneath the main altar is the reliquary in which the supposed chains of Saint Peter are kept. The basilica was commissioned in 432 by the Empress Eudoxia in order to guard the precious irons from Carcere Mamertino.

Continuing in a clockwise direction, you’ll see one of the Michelangelo’s great masterpieces, ‘Moses’. This inspiring sculpture was commissioned in 1513 to adorn the funeral monument of Pope Julius II but was never fully completed following a decision that the Pope be buried in St. Peter’s Basilica instead. The piece is said be one of Michelangelo’s favourite works due to the realism it portrays. 

The church has undergone many restorations especially during the 11th century and more particularly in the 15 - 16th centuries when external features and a new portico were added, giving the church the appearance which we see today.