Exterior view
by PONTELLI, Baccio, Photo
San Pietro in Vincoli was first rebuilt on older foundations in 432-440 to house the relic of the chains that bound Saint Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem.
The basilica, consecrated in 439 by Sixtus III, has undergone several restorations. With the election of Francesco della Rovere as Pope Sixtus IV in 1471, Giuliano della Rovere (later Pope Julius II), the nephew of the pope, became titular Cardinal of San Pietro in Vincoli. He undertook the restoration and embellishment of the church, he financed the renewal of the interior and a new portico designed by Baccio Pontelli.
The photo shows the portico.