The Baptistery of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy. May 29, 2017

A close-up of the Baptistery statue of St. John The Baptist of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy. May 29, 2017

The crypt-chapel and statue of Pope Pius IX under the high altar of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy. May 29, 2017

Under the high altar of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy, is the Crypt of the Nativity or Bethlehem Crypt, with a crystal reliquary designed by Giuseppe Valadier said to contain wood from the Holy Crib of the nativity of Jesus Christ. May 29, 2017

The interior of the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Rome, Italy. May 29, 2017

A close-up of the interior of the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Rome, Italy. May 29, 2017

The exterior of the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Rome, Italy, best known for being the home of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. May 29, 2017

A close-up of the canopy top and the painting of the apse inside the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Rome, Italy. May 29, 2017

The famous chains of St. Peter are preserved in a bronze urn beneath the high altar of the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Rome, Italy. According to tradition, the chains were said to hold St. Peter during his imprisonment in Jerusalem and were given to Pope Leo the Great, who already had the chains of St. Peter’s incarceration in the Mamertine Prison in Rome. When the Pope put the two chains together, they miraculously fused to form a single set of chains. May 29, 2017

The 18th century fresco on the ceiling center is called “The Miracle of the Chains” inside the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Rome, Italy. In this scene, Pope Alexander heals the neck goiter of Saint Balbina by touching her with the chains that once bound St Peter. May 29, 2017