MICHELANGELO’S
SISTINE CHAPEL

Where do I start? There’s so much to say about the Sistine Chapel – much more than I could possibly fit on this website. So, for now, I’ll stick to a brief introduction to the key features…

The Sistine Chapel was erected between 1475 and 1483 for Pope Sixtus IV, hence its name.
There is nothing remarkable about its architecture or its size. In fact, it measures just 40.9 m long, 13.4 m wide and 20.7 m high.

But it is famous for two reasons:
1. The Sistine Chapel is where papal conclaves are convened to elect a new pope. Whenever this happens, the chapel is obviously closed to visitors.
2. Michelangelo Buonarroti famously spent several years of his life creating the world-renowned frescos on the chapel’s ceiling and altar wall.

The ceiling frescos

Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508 by Pope Julius II, who was a great patron of the arts.
After some persuasion, the pope gave Michelangelo an almost free hand in the creation of his masterpiece spanning 520 m².

Most of the frescos depict scenes from the Book of Genesis, including the most famous fresco of all – The Creation of Adam.
Unfortunately, I can’t show you any detailed pictures because photography is banned inside the chapel (don’t even try and sneak a quick shot – you’ll end up (like I did) with a red face and a blurred photo), but you know the one I mean… the famous image of Adam and God, fingers outstretched, almost touching.

In total, it took Michelangelo four years to create the ceiling frescos, lying on his back on his 20-metre-high wooden scaffold. The results of his labours were finally unveiled in 1512 and the epic frescos have grown in fame ever since.

The altar fresco

But the story doesn’t end there, because 20 years later, Michelangelo returned to complete another masterpiece – the altar fresco.

In 1532, Pope Clement VII commissioned the now 60-year-old Michelangelo to paint the Last Judgment on the altar wall. This epic work, measuring 200 m², took five years to complete and depicts an unbelievable 390 figures, some of which appear larger than life. What’s more, Michelangelo is believed to have painted every inch himself!

When the altar fresco was finally unveiled in 1541, controversy erupted. Critics found the nude figures obscene and were appalled at the depiction of St. Bartholomew holding his own flayed skin.
After Michelangelo’s death, another artist, Daniele da Volterra, was hired to paint over the nude bodies, which earned him the nickname Il Braghettone (The Breeches Maker).
Luckily for us, these changes were reversed during restoration work between 1980 and 1994, so you can now see the fresco in all its original glory.

Vatican Museums
A bit of history

The museum complex

The buildings that make up the museum complex have been extended by many different popes over the centuries. The original foundation stone was laid by Pope Nicholas V (reigned 1447–1455) in around 1450. Unfortunately, he died just five years later in 1455 and so only lived to see the Borgia Apartments and the Stanze (now known as Raphael’s Rooms) completed.

Another important wing was constructed under Pope Sixtus IV (reigned 1471–1484), who notably commissioned the Cappella Magna, or Sistine Chapel as it is more famously known.

Most recently, a new entrance to the museums was constructed to mark the Holy Year of 2000. The new entrance is still on the north side of the Vatican, but offers a larger space for security lines, ticket desks and cloakroom facilities.

Today, the complex comprises a patchwork of 1400 rooms spread over an unbelievable 55,000 m² (equivalent to around 13 football pitches). Very few of the rooms are used by the Pope and the papal household. And the vast majority are open to the public as part of the Vatican Museums. It’s an enormous site, so as I said before, take care not to lose your way in the vast maze of corridors, rooms and courtyards.

The collections

Pope Julius II (reigned 1503–1513) is credited with first establishing the Vatican Museums when he invited certain favoured visitors to view his private collection of ancient art.
Over the centuries, various popes have added new collections to the museum complex.

The original sculpture collection belonging to Pope Julius II, which includes the Laocoön Group and the Apollo Belvedere, is today housed in the Octagonal Court.

Pope Clement XIV (reigned 1769–1774) and Pope Pius VI (reigned 1775–1799) also opened their private collections to the public, creating the Pio Clementino Museum. Pope Pius VII (reigned 1800–1823) founded the Chiaramonti Museum and the New Wing, and Pope Gregory XVI (reigned 1831–1846) was responsible for the Gregorian Egyptian Museum and the Gregorian Etruscan Museum.

Finally, the new Vatican Pinacoteca was commissioned in 1932 by Pope Pius XI (reigned 1922–1939). Designed by the architect Luca Beltrami, the new gallery comprises 16 renaissance-style rooms and was built to display the papal painting collection, which dates from the Middle Ages to the 18th century – although the renaissance paintings are the real jewels in the collection’s crown. Following the completion of the gallery, Pope Pius XI went on to double the size of the collection through new purchases. So visit today and you’ll discover masterpieces from Giotto, Fra Angelico, Perugino, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and many more.