World / Vatican City, 1 km from center Coordinates: 41°54'10"N   12°27'16"E

Holy Sistine ChapelHoly Sistine ChapelHoly Sistine ChapelHoly Sistine ChapelHoly Sistine ChapelHoly Sistine ChapelHoly Sistine Chapel
Holy Sistine Chapel

This is the chapel used by the catholic cardinals when selecting a new pope. It has ceiling frescoes by Michelangelo Buonarotti, very famously showing the great scenes of the bible. It is the most famous chapel in the world. The wall behind the altar is painted with "Judgement Day". In the main seating area look at the walls, they have been painted in tromp l'oeil to look like curtains or hanging tapestries, and you have to right beside them to see they are flat.
mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Main.html
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel
Category: italy city rome chapel catholic vatican pope

place comments:
8 months ago   +4
Amazing place to see. I can't imagine how long it took for Michelangelo to paint all of that.

What's even more amazing is that Michelangelo wasn't even a painter, he was a sculptor. The pope forced him to take up painting. Or so I'm told.
7 months ago   +4
Read "Agony and Ecstasy" by the author Ervin Stone for the entire episode regarding the great Michangelo,the Pope,Sistine chapel and the great frescos.
7 months ago Arvey Jay   +5
When you go, be on the lookout for the first temptation picture on the ceiling. Notice it's actually Adam taking an apple from the tree, Eve is standing nearby but is distracted. Most importantly though, on your way out, just before the exit door, take a moment to look down at the floor. There are two small brown marks, stains more correctly. This is where they place the TEMPORARY stove when they burn smoke during conclave (when a new pope is being elected), and the chimney is simply stuck out the window. I had always wondered where that stove went!
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Edited: 5 months ago Languages: en