St Peter in Chains
San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) was constructed in the 5th century to house the chains that held St. Peter during his captivity in Jerusalem. Those chains are kept under glass in a display beneath the church's main altar. The building itself is not remarkable, and the relic for which the church is named probably wouldn't be enough to attract much attention on its own either. What brings the crowds here is that sculpture that many believe to be Michelangelo's finest. Pope Julius II had commissioned the artist to create 44 sculptures for his tomb. Michelangelo finished only the monumental statue of Moses and two lesser works, Rachel and Leah, by the time of the Pope's death. The successor to the papacy, a rival of Julius, put the artist to work on other projects and the tomb was never finished. The statue that remains however is widely considered to be the best of Michelangelo.