About San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains)

Saint Peter in Chains, also referred to as the Basilica Eudoxiana, was built around 432-440 AD during the pontificate of Pope Sixtus III in order to house the relic of the chains that bound Saint Peter while he was imprisoned in Jerusalem. Saint Peter's imprisonment and miraculous release is recorded in the twelfth chapter of the book of Acts.

The Basilica Eudoxiana was originally dedicated to all of the apostles with the title ecclesia apostolorum. During the eleventh century, the church was permanently dedicated to saints Peter and Paul as "San Pietro ad vincula" (Saint Peter in Chains).

The Chains of Saint Peter

The chains that bound Saint Peter are the focal point of Saint Peter in Chains and can be seen in a gilt bronze and crystal reliquary in the confessio under the high altar. According to legend, the Empress Eudoxia (wife of Emperor Valentinian III) presented the chains to Pope Leo I. As he compared them to the chains of Saint Peter's final imprisonment in the Roman Mamertine prison, the two chains miraculously fused together.

The presence of the chains that bound Saint Peter provide a spiritual focus to pilgrims, inviting them to reflect on the primacy of Saint Peter as head of the apostles and the universal ministry of his successors.