St. Peter in Chains: Busted out of Prison by an Angel

These are, “according to tradition,” the chains that once held St. Peter. Hence, “St. Peter in Chains.” And while they may appear to be one chain, it’s said they’re actually two separate chains, which magically fused together after one part was given as a really weird present. Of course, “according to tradition” is something we say when we don’t really have any hard evidence that an object is what it claims to be, so gird thyself for that phrase being used quite a bit.

Fisherman & Fisher of Men

These chains are located in the church known as “San Pietro in Vincoli,” or “St. Peter in Chains,” in Rome. And oddly enough, they aren’t even the most noteworthy object in the church — but we’ll get to that.

Peter was the “leader” of Jesus’ apostles. I guess he was like the Captain America of the group. Or the Iron Man, depending on where your allegiances lie. 

Originally a fisherman, Peter joined up with Jesus (the Nick Fury of Christianity). This happened after Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a bad fever. No word on whether or not Peter actually wanted this to happen. 

Regardless, Peter followed him around until Jesus was crucified. Biblical stories of Peter around this time point out how Peter pretended he had no idea who Jesus was, to save his own skin — which he was totally sorry for. And there’s another tale of how he tried to defend Jesus and chopped off a dude’s ear. Jesus reattached the ear, so all was well. 

Out of the Hoosegow

After the crucifixion (and witnessing appearances by the resurrected Jesus, like the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi), Peter headed out to spread the word of his boss. You know, peace and love and caring for the poor and all that stuff. 

Peter was teaching to the Jews in Jerusalem when Herod Agrippa, the last king of Judea, had him arrested. Herod was kind of a suck up to the Romans, and also a bit of a suck up to the locals. He’d gained some popularity in Jerusalem by persecuting the early Christians, so he capitalized on that by tossing Peter in the slammer. 

According to the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible, the night before Peter’s trial, his chains fell off. An angel appeared, and was like “What are you doing, hurry up and get dressed, let’s go.”

The angel led him out, and the doors popped open for them. Peter got away, and Herod had the bumbling guards put to death.

I do want to point out that I’m only slightly joking about the interaction between Peter and the angel. Here’s what the Bible says:

“The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.  Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,’ the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.  They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.'”

Don’t ask me why Peter was sleeping without his sandals on. I mean, prisons aren’t typically known for heaving hygienic floors.

Back to Prison

Fast forward a bit to the year 64. A huge fire breaks out in Rome, and the Emperor Nero supposedly blames the Christians, which leads to a big time escalation in their persecution. Yes, Nero was kind of a jerk.

Peter decides to bail, but Jesus appears to him. Peter’s like “Oh, hey, where you heading off to? And Jesus says “I’m going to be crucified again.”

So Peter decides to face his fate. The way I read the story is that Peter felt guilty for trying to run away. And it is worth noting that this is one of those stories that’s not in the Bible at all. Turns out, what made the Biblical Cut was decided by a bunch of dudes who got together for a conference.

“According to tradition,” Peter’s locked up and chained in the Mamertine Prison in Rome. When it comes time for his crucifixion, he says he’s not worthy of dying in the same way as Jesus, so he’s crucified upside down. 

It took place at the Circus of Nero, the chariot racing stadium where many Christians were executed — the same place where Vatican City now stands. Supposedly, Peter’s remains are located beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. 

St. Peter in Chains: Back on the Chain Gang

Now we hop ahead to the mid-400s. The Byzantine Empress Licinia Eudoxia in Constantinople gets a present from her mom: The chains that held Peter when he was arrested by Herod. Which seems like kind of a weird gift to give your kid, but who am I to judge?

These came by way of St. Juvenal, the Bishop of Jerusalem at the time. It’s said that the chains were already being venerated there.

The Empress gives these chains to Pope Leo I in Rome, where he holds them near other chains — the ones that supposedly held Peter in the Mamertine Prison. Boom! The chains miraculously fuse together!

The Pope builds a church to house the chains, and the rest is history.

Obviously this all begs the question: “Are they real?” And the short answer is: “Idk.”

Most historians would say “Probably not.” Though it is true that Peter was a historical person, and it is true that the church of San Pietro in Vincoli was first built around the mid-400’s, which lines up.

As for the story about the angelic jailbreak, many scholars classify it as a story that’s intended to mirror that of Jesus: Through divine intervention, Peter is “resurrected.”

It’s also true that many relics from the time of Jesus and the early church date can be traced back to Constantinople, by way of Jerusalem.

Ultimately it’s one of those “matters of faith.” Some people believe the chains are real. Others don’t. But hey, if someone’s able to gain a bit of peace or fulfillment from seeing them and believing they’re real, then more power to them.

As for that “other” bit of the church that’s now far more famous than the chains, it’s Michelangelo’s statue of Moses, often reposted on Reddit with an arrow pointing to a certain muscle in the forearm that only contracts when the pinky is raised.