Carcere Mamertino

Mamertino Prison

Saint Peter's last miracle

Description

Tradition has it that the narrow cell connected to the Cloaca Maxima is the prison where Saint Peter was incarcerated before his crucifixion. There is an altar with a small spring which the Saint miraculously caused to gush forth and which he used to baptise his fellow prisoners and two guards. The prisoners died of starvation here and their bodies were then thrown in the nearby Cloaca. The Gallic leader, Vercingetorix, defeated by Julius Caesar, was also imprisoned and executed here. The prisons can be reached by a narrow flight of steps located inside the Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Falegnami. Entry: free.