The Sistine Chapel

The Vatican Museums are located in Rome, within the Vatican City State.

Founded by Pope Julius II in the sixteenth century, they are full of historical and artistic treasures by some of the world's greatest artists.

Inside is the collection of works of art accumulated over the centuries by the Popes: epoch-making masterpieces by Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian and Caravaggio.

The Sistine Chapel, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, is the main chapel of the Apostolic Palace.
It takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere, who had restored the ancient Magna Chapel restored between 1477 and 1480.

Conclave, baptisms and other official ceremonies of the Pope are held inside (in the past, some papal coronations were celebrated).

Who painted the Sistine Chapel?

The Sistine Chapel is decorated with frescoes by Michelangelo Buonarroti, which cover the ceiling and the back wall (with the Last Judgment above the altar).

The 15th-century decorations of the Chapel’s walls include: false drapes, the Stories of Moses and Christ and the portraits of the Popes.

The works were initially executed by a team of painters composed of Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli, assisted by their respective workshops and other collaborators such as Biagio di Antonio, Bartolomeo della Gatta and Luca Signorelli.

The work on the frescoes began in 1481 and was completed in 1482.