The Story and Miracles Concerning the Veneration of the Chains of Apostle Peter
Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great
and king of the Jews, grew wroth against the Church of Christ, and slew James,
the brother of John the Evangelist. Seeing that this pleased the Jews, he took
Peter also into custody and locked him up in prison, intending to keep him
there until after the feast of the Passover, so that he could win the favor of
the people by presenting him to them as a victim. But the Apostle was saved when
he was miraculously set free by an Angel (Acts 12:1-19). The Chains wherewith
the Apostle was bound received from his most sacred body the grace of
sanctification and healing, which is bestowed upon the faithful who draw nigh
with faith releasing them from the bondage of every evil and sickness.
For three centuries the Chains were kept in
Jerusalem, and those afflicted with illness and approached them with faith
received healing and release from their bondage. Patriarch Juvenal (July 2)
presented the Chains to Eudocia, wife of the emperor Theodosius the Younger,
and she in turn transferred them from Jerusalem to Constantinople in either the
year 437 or 439.
The basilica has undergone several restorations
and rebuildings, including a restoration by Pope Adrian I, a rebuilding by Pope
Sixtus IV and another by Pope Julius II. There was also a renovation in 1875.
Some modernizations were made at that time.
Michelangelo's Moses, which dates from 1515, is
the most notable piece of artwork in the basilica. Originally intended as part
of a 40-statue funeral monument for Pope Julius II, Moses became the Pope's
funeral monument and tomb in his family's church.
Further, Arator, Subdeacon of the Roman Church
in the sixth century, wrote that the Chains wherewith Peter was bound at
Jerusalem, or certainly some of them, were preserved at Rome in his own time,
and consequently the veneration of Peter's Chains greatly increased; especially
when, as we learn from other records of the Church of Rome, a basilica was built
by the younger Eudocia, wife of Valentinian III, on the Esquiline Hill, under
the name of Saint Peter in Chains. This temple, or a re-building of it, was
dedicated on August 1st, whence the day was placed in the Roman Calendar as the
Feast of Saint Peter's Chains, afterwards called in England Lammas Day, from
the custom of offering loaves of bread made from the first-gathered grain of
the year, in thanksgiving from the beginning of the harvest. And, because of
his Chains, this holy Apostle is often invoked for those in bondage.
Two Miracles of the Chains of the Apostle Peter
1. When Constantine the Great became emperor of
Rome and ended the persecutions against the Church, the Christians of Rome
gathered the relics of the Apostle Peter together with the Chains that held him
in prison in Rome, and a temple was dedicated to them by the emperor. The
Chains were greatly venerated by the faithful, for just as the shadow of the
apostle worked miracles so also did the Chains that held him. The relics of the
Apostle Peter were placed on a throne in a hidden area of the temple to prevent
its theft, and this area was only opened three times a year for Christians to
go and venerate the apostle seated on his throne.
2. One day a man who worked on ships as a
tradesman fell into a great tragedy that left him poor and caused him to lose
all of his possessions. Coming to the point where he had not the means to live
he prayed to St. Peter to loan him the golden shoe that was placed on the relic
of his foot in his church. He promised the apostle that if he granted him this
loan that once he was financially settled he would return from his trip with a
golden shoe more honorable than the first. He then asked the permission of St.
Peter for him to make up a lie so as to go to confession to the Pope and hence
be tied in the Chains to walk around the church seven times, and from there to
proceed to the locked chamber which contained his relics and for the door to
open for him so that he may receive the golden shoe.
The man then proceeded to the Church of the
Apostle Peter in Rome and confessed a sin which he in fact did not commit. As
was his custom, the Pope placed the man in the Chains of the Apostle Peter and
he walked around the entire perimeter of the church seven times. From there he
proceeded to the chamber and with his head he knocked on the locked door. The
chains in a miraculous manner fell off the door and he proceeded to the throne
of the Apostle Peter on which sat his holy relics. Then, in a wondrous manner,
the apostle leaned out one of his legs to the man so as to give him his golden
shoe. The man, full of gratitude, took the shoe and left the church.
Meanwhile the man who had fallen into tragedy
and was given by St. Peter the loan of his golden shoe was greatly blessed
financially. He became very wealthy, but also very greedy. Upon hearing that
the Pope replaced the loaned out golden shoe for another, the man theorized
that he no longer needed to fulfill his vow. That night however St. Peter
appeared to the man and reminded him of his debt. The man therefore hurriedly
set out to have a golden shoe made to fulfill his vow. With his golden shoe in
hand the man went to the Pope and confessed his sin. He was placed in the
Chains and made to walk the entire perimeter of the church seven times, after
which he proceeded to the locked chamber to knock on the door with his head.
The door of the chamber miraculously opened and the forgiven man was allowed to
go into the private chamber and venerate the relics. He took the shoe the Pope
had recently made off the foot of the saint and replaced it with the golden
shoe he had made. When this was done another wonder took place - the two feet
of the apostle opened a slight bit as if bidding him to place the third golden
shoe in between his other two feet. When this was done the man left, having
paid his debt and with his sin forgiven.
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Without leaving Rome, thou didst come to us by
the precious chains which thou didst wear, O foremost of the Apostles. And
venerating them with faith, we pray: By thine intercessions with God, grant us
great mercy.
Kontakion in the Second Tone
Now Christ God, the Rock, doth glorify the rock
of faith, illustriously, in calling all to celebrate the dread wonders of the
most precious Chains of Peter, the first and chief of the disciples of Christ
our God, Who granteth forgiveness of sins unto all.
Source: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/01/veneration-of-apostle-peters-precious.html
