Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel, extraordinarily ornately decorated chapel located in the Papal palace complex in the Vatican City. Constructed between 1472 and 1481 by the architect Giovanni de Dolci, the chapel takes its name from the pontiff of the day, Sixtus IV. The unassuming exterior of the rectangular, brick building belies the wealth of Renaissance artwork for which the interior is famed.

The best-known works are the stunning frescoes by Michelangelo Buonarroti on the vaulted ceiling and at the altar end. The overhead frescoes, commissioned by Pope Julius II, were painted between 1508 and 1512. The nine central panels illustrate the stories from Genesis, including the Creation and Fall of Man, the Great Flood and survival of Noah, and rebirth of mankind. Prophets and sibyls appear along the long sides, with Zachariah and Jonah at either end. The corners contain images illustrating four incidents associated with the salvation of the Israelite people. Michelangelo returned in 1534 at the behest of Pope Paul III to begin painting the Last Judgement, which fills the west altar wall and was completed in 1541. These magnificent works, particularly the ceiling frescoes, are considered to be among the greatest masterpieces in the world, not only for the remarkable skill with which they have been painted, but also Michelangelo’s powerful visual interpretation of the Old Testament stories and the glory of God and the human form. (So much of the human body on display proved highly controversial and in 1564 it was decided that some figures of the Judgement should have drapery painted over them.)

The walls running the length of the chapel each contain six arched windows, and they, along with the entrance end, consist of four tiers of images painted between 1481 and 1483 by some of the finest Italian artists of the day. The lowermost tier is of false drapes, above which a series of frescoes, masterpieces in themselves, depicts the lives of Christ and Moses. These frescoes are the work of artists such as Perugino, Pinturicchio, Sandro Botticelli, Cosimo Rosselli, Domenico and Benedetto Ghirlandaio, Luca Signorelli, and Bartolomeo della Gatta. The third tier contains representations of important pontiffs, in pairs between each window, and the final tier consists of lunettes and webs depicting the forerunners of Christ.

The Sistine Chapel is the Pope’s own chapel, where important papal ceremonies are held and where, on the death of a pontiff, the Sacred College of Cardinals gathers to elect his successor. Major restoration work undertaken in the late 20th century—despite much controversy over art conservation issues—removed centuries-worth of dirt, smoke, and varnish.