The Sistine Chapel is one of the main attractions to visit in Vatican City. The highlight of a visit to the Vatican Museums, the famous chapel contains frescoes on the ceiling and the altar by Michelangelo and is considered one of the artist’s greatest achievements. But the chapel contains more than just works by Michelangelo; It is decorated from floor to ceiling with some of the most famous names in Renaissance painting.
Visiting the Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel is the last room that visitors see when visiting the Vatican Museums. It is always very crowded and it is difficult to see all the works within it at close range. Visitors can rent audio guides or book one of the few guided tours of the Vatican Museums to learn more about the history and artwork of the Sistine Chapel. You can avoid the big crowds by taking a privileged entrance tour or a private tour after hours.
It is important to note that while the Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums tour, the church still uses it for important functions, being the site where the conclave meets to elect a new Pope.
History of the Sistine Chapel
The great chapel known worldwide as the Sistine Chapel was built between 1475 and 1481 at the behest of Pope Sixtus IV (the Latin name Sixtus, or Sisto [Italian], which lends its name to “Sistine”). The monumental hall measures 40.23 meters long by 13.40 meters wide (134 by 44 feet) and reaches 20.7 meters (approximately 67.9 feet) above the ground at its highest point. The floor is inlaid with polychrome marble and the room contains an altar, a small gallery of choristers, and a six-panel marble screen that divides the room into areas for clergy and congregations.
There are eight windows lining the upper reaches of the walls.
Michelangelo’s frescoes on the ceiling and altar are the most famous paintings in the Sistine Chapel. Pope Julius II commissioned the master artist to paint these parts of the chapel in 1508, some 25 years after the walls had been painted by Sandro Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Pinturrichio, and others.
What to see in the Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel Ceiling : The ceiling is divided into 9 central panels, which represent The Creation of the World , The Expulsion of Adam and Eve , and The Story of Noah . Perhaps the most famous of these nine panels is The Creation of Adam , which shows the figure of God touching the tip of Adam’s finger to bring him to life, and Fall from Grace and Expulsion from the Garden of Eden , which depicts Adam and Eve. . partaking of the forbidden apple in the Garden of Eden, and then leaving the Garden in shame.
On the sides of the central panels and on the lunettes, Michelangelo painted grandiose images of the prophets and sibyls.
Last Judgment Altar Fresco: Painted in 1535, this giant fresco on the altar in the Sistine Chapel depicts some gruesome scenes from The Last Judgment. The composition represents hell as described by the poet Dante in his Divine Comedy. In the center of the painting there is a critical and vengeful Christ and he is surrounded on all sides by nude figures, including apostles and saints. The fresco is divided into the blessed souls, on the left, and the damned, on the right. Notice the image of the flayed body of Saint Bartholomew, on which Michelangelo painted his own face.
The north wall of the Sistine Chapel: The wall to the right of the altar contains scenes from the life of Christ. The panels and artists represented here are (from left to right, starting from the altar):
- The baptism of Jesus by Perugino
- The Temptation of Jesus by Botticelli
- The Call of the First Disciples by Ghirlandaio
- Rosselli’s Sermon on Mount
- The handing over of the keys to Saint Peter by Perugino (a very remarkable work among the wall frescoes)
- Rosselli’s Last Supper
The south wall of the Sistine Chapel: the south (or left) wall contains scenes from the life of Moses. The panels and artists represented on the south wall are (from right to left, starting from the altar):
- The journey of Moses through Egypt by Perugino
- Scenes from the life of Moses before his journey through Egypt by Botticelli
- Crossing the Red Sea by Rosselli and d’Antonio
- Rosselli’s ten commandments
- The Punishment of Korah, Datán and Abiram by Botticelli
- The final acts of Moses and the death of Luca Signorelli
Sistine Chapel Tickets
Entry to the Sistine Chapel is included with a ticket to the Vatican Museums. The queues for the Vatican museums can be very long. You can save time by purchasing Vatican Museum tickets online in advance.
