Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Through the souvenir shop on the right-hand side of the church is a
museum
with a glit-
tering, if slightly dull, collection of religious artifacts. More interesting is the upper
loggia
where you'll get a closer look at the iridescent 13th-century mosaics on the southeast
facade.
Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli
BASILICA
(Piazza di San Pietro in Vincoli 4a; 8am-12.30pm & 3-7pm Apr-Sep, to 6pm Oct-Mar; Cavour)
Pil-
grims and art lovers flock to this 5th-century church for two reasons: to marvel at
Michelangelo's macho
Moses
sculpture and to see the
chains
that bound St Peter when he
was imprisoned in the Carcere Mamertino.
The church was built specially to house these shackles, which had been sent to Con-
stantinople after the saint's death but were later returned as relics. They arrived in two
pieces and legend has it that when they were reunited they miraculously joined together.
They are now displayed under the altar.
To the right of the altar, Michelangelo's colossal
Moses
(1505) forms the centrepiece of
his unfinished tomb for Pope Julius II. The prophet strikes a muscular pose with well-
defined biceps, a magnificent waist-length beard and two small horns sticking out of his
head. These were inspired by a mistranslation of a biblical passage: where the original
said that rays of light issued from Moses' face, the translator wrote 'horns'. Michelangelo
was aware of the mistake, but gave Moses horns anyway. Flanking Moses are statues of
Leah and Rachel, probably completed by Michelangelo's students.
The tomb, despite its imposing scale, was never completed - Michelangelo originally
envisaged 40 statues but got sidetracked by the Sistine Chapel - and Julius was buried in
St Peter's Basilica.
Access to the church is via a flight of steps through a low arch that leads up from Via
Cavour.
Domus Aurea
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
( 06 3996 7700;
www.coopculture.it
;
Viale della Domus Aurea; closed for restoration; Co-
losseo)
A monumental exercise in vanity, the Domus Aurea (Golden House) was Nero's
great gift to himself. Built after the fire of AD 64 and named after the gold that covered its
facade, it was a huge complex covering up to a third of the city, but it's estimated that
only around 20% remains of the original complex.
