Moses (Michelangelo)

Moses is a white marble sculpture created in 1509 by Michelangelo (1475-1564) and depicts the biblical character Moses. It was originally designed for the tomb of Pope Julius II in St. Peter's Basilica, but was finally set in the minor church of San Pietro in Vincoli after the Pope's death.

The statue actually depicts Moses with horns on his head, a feature which is believed to come from a mistranslation of the Jerome chapter of Exodus 34:29-35. In the text, Moses is characterized by "karanohrpanav" ("a face emanating rays of light"), which St. Jerome translated as "esset facies sua cornuta" ("his face was horned").

This is an impressive statue by Michelangelo. Most tourists who visit the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli do so to admire this statue which forms part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. The actual church, though, is much older and was built to house the chains which imprisoned St. Peter in Jerusalem.

The entire group of sculptures around the tomb is amazing, but Moses is definitely the star.

The Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli is simple in its ornamentation, but two things make it unique: the shrine where they keep the chains which bound St. Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem and the impressive sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo that forms parts of the tomb of Julius II. The expression on Moses' face is one of anger when witnessing the behavior of his people after receiving the Commandments. The church is located just steps from the Colosseum and is a mandatory stop during your trip to Rome.