Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is a rectangular chamber that was constructed by Pope Sixtus IV between 1473 and 1484. It serves as the Pope's home chapel and is also used for liturgies and special occasions. The conclave to choose the next Pope is conducted here upon the death of the current Pope. The ceiling and wall frescoes by Michelangelo and others, which are regarded as the best examples of Renaissance art, underwent extensive restoration work between 1980 and 1994. This work involved removing layers of overpainting, varnish, grease, and candle soot to reveal the frescoes' vibrant original colors.

Large murals depicting Biblical stories against a backdrop of Umbrian and Tuscan scenery are painted on the side walls for Sixtus IV by the most renowned artists of the time, including Perugino, Botticelli, Rosselli, Pinturicchio, Signorelli, and Ghirlandaio. The concepts of humanism, which acknowledge people as unique individuals who play significant roles in history, are already evident in these paintings from the late fifteenth century. Scenes from the Old and New Testaments are displayed on the left and right walls, respectively.

Between 1508 and 1512, during the pontificate of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted the frescoes on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel nearly entirely without the assistance of helpers. The ambitious plan of Michelangelo was to show the Creation as it appears in the book of Genesis, starting with God dividing light from darkness, making the sun and moon, dividing land from the sea, creating Adam and then Eve, and continuing through the account of Noah.

The prophets and sibyls are depicted as enormous figures below in the vaulting. The enormous fresco on the altar wall, which depicts the Last Judgment, the conclusion of the world's story, was started by Michelangelo in 1534. It ranks as one of the pinnacles of European painting due to its dramatic presentation and artistic skill.

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