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Why is the Chapel in the Tower of London "St Peter ad Vincula" and not "St Peter in Vinculis"

d_e
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Geoff Clarke
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    The accusative is used when motion is involved, hence "ad Vincula". Preposition "sub" takes the accusative, instead of the expected ablative, in "sub iugum mittere" = "to be taken under the yoke", a form of humiliation for a defeated enemy. – tony Jul 20 '20 at 15:45

1 Answers1

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I do not know the answer, but I will take a guess.

There is a shrine in Rome called ecclesia Sancti Petri in vinculis where the chains that bound Saint Peter are kept as relics. A yearly festival in honor of Saint Peter was kept there, which (naturally enough) came to be called festum Sancti Petri ad vincula, the feast of Saint Peter "at the chains", these chains being the actual relics venerated at the shrine. This was purely a neighborhood festival at first, but it soon spread throughout Rome, and from Rome, throughout the world.

Once the feast was on the general calendar, it became possible to start naming local churches in honor of the feast. We are perhaps more familiar with this phenomenon with Mary: Our Lady of Mount Carmel is one of many feasts of Mary, and it is not unusual to find churches named Our Lady of Mount Carmel even though they are nowhere near Carmel. Likewise (if my guess is right) you should find churches named Saint Peter at the Chains, even if the church is nowhere near those ancient chains.

Figulus
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    Thankyou Figulus. I had seen S Peter in vinculis mentioned in an Italian context. The ad bit and accusative baffles me a bit . Does it mean S Peter going to the chains or is it suggesting a pilgrimage to Rome , like a pub in Nottingham called The Trip to Jerusalem? Geoff Clarke – Geoff Clarke Jul 22 '20 at 22:06
  • @GeoffClarke It is definitely more of a virtual pilgrimage to Rome. Often these shrines in Rome have indulgences associated with them, and there is usually some allowance for non-Romans to get an equivalent indulgence, something like, "If you celebrate the feast Ad vincula (which was on August 1st), you get the same indulgence that you would have gotten if you had physicially travelled "to the chains", i.e., to the shrine in Rome. – Figulus Jul 23 '20 at 00:23