An Angel Releases Peter from Prison

12th century
Mosaic
Palatine Chapel, Palermo, Sicily

This panel pictures Acts 12:6b-8:

The same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by him: and a light shined in the room: and he striking Peter on the side, raised him up, saying: Arise quickly. And the chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said to him: Gird thyself, and put on thy sandals. And he did so. And he said to him: Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

The inscription above says PRAECIPIT ANGELUS PETRO UT CITO SURGAT ET VELOCITER E CARCERE EXEAT, "The angel tells Peter to rise up immediately and quickly go out of the prison."

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View the entire Peter and Paul Cycle in the Palatine Chapel.
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Photographed at the chapel by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.