Saint Peter in Chains

Do not be fooled by this church's small and relatively innocuous exterior. It actually enjoys the status of basilica minor and hides one of greatest statues from the Renaissance era: Michelangelo's Moses, as well as an important religious relic: two fused chains, which, the legend has it, bound Saint Peter when he was in Jerusalem.

The church was built as early as the 5th century AD in order to provide a safe and appropriate depository for the saint's chains. Today, they can be seen on display inside the church, safe behind a glass panel. The Moses statue was only added to the church's decor about a millennium later, as a part of a magnificent tomb for Pope Julius II, which Michelangelo was commissioned to create. The tomb stands incomplete till today, as the renaissance genius never managed to finish it.

Due to its mundane look on the outside, the church is relatively easy to miss. It is best reached by foot, after you exit either from the Colosseum or Cavour metro station or the Termini train station. If you choose to go here from Cavour metro station, prepare to climb plenty of stairs.