Although housed in the premises of Vatican Museums, technically, the Sistine Chapel isn’t a ‘museum’… it’s a chapel… a place where Popes pray and spend time in spiritual reflection. However practically, it commands more traffic than any other part of the gorgeous and enormous Vatican Museums. And to see the Sistine Chapel you need to get a ticket for the Vatican Museums which is why most people think that the chapel is a museum space. The Capella Sistina is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace that is the official residence of the Pope.
Due to the extreme sacred nature of the chapel and the priceless art inside; photography is prohibited inside the Sistine Chapel. However if you happen to visit Mexico at some point of time then you can tour the original sized replica of the Sistine Chapel main hall (this is Vatican approved). Capilla Sixtina en México as it’s called….cost 2.4 million USD to be created and 2.6 million photos of the original Sistine Chapel were taken over the course of 170 nights. Some five million people visit the Sistine Chapel annually making it Italy’s top revenue earner.
History
Incidentally the Sistine Chapel owes its name to Pope Sixtus IV who restored the building around 1477 (Sixtus in Italian means Sisto). The Papal conclave or the all-important process through which a new Pope is selected happens in the Sistine Chapel. The Chapel also hosts a papal body called the Papal Chapel.
During the reign if Pope Sixtus IV… the Papal Chapel had 200 people that included Vatican officers, clerics and priests. The entire Papal chapel meets on 50 religious occasions out of which 8 important ones are held in large basilicas like St. Peter’s. The smaller occasions are held in chapels like the Sistine Chapel and are meant for restricted audiences. Around 1368 there was Sistine Chapel’s predecessor Cappella Maggiore that served the same purposes that Sistine Chapel serves today. The Cappella Maggiore had lovely frescoes by Fra Angelico but it was demolished in the 14th century after it reached a ruinous state.
Some say that the Sistine Chapel had heavy sturdy walls so that they could defend any attacks on the Vatican… it was meant as a defence site too. Incidentally the architect Baccio Pontelli who designed the chapel also designed the Ponte Sisto Bridge.
The decision to build the Sistine Chapel naturally followed and the building’s design was created by Baccio Pontelli for Pope Sixtus IV. The chapel was built under the management of Giovannino de Dolci between 1473 to 1484 and was decked up with frescoes made by the leading artists of the 15th century like Ghirlandail, Botticelli and Perugino.
The first Sistine Chapel mass was celebrated on 9th August 1483 at the Feast of the Assumption and this was when the chapel was consecrated and dedicated to Virgin Mary. The Sistine Chapel has a beautiful permanent choir that plays its original music. The Allegri’s Miserere is a well-known piece. Incidentally Sistine chapel’s choir’s origin can be traced back to 7th century making it the oldest choir in the world. You can’t attend mass or church ceremonies inside the chapel so hearing the choir performance first hand might be a challenge though the choir does sing in other events like World peace conventions etc. YouTube is full of videos of the choir in action so have a look if you wish.
The election of the new Pope has been held in Sistine Chapel since 1492 but since 1870 the chapel has become the only venue for this process. All kinds of electronic devices are banned inside the chapel and even the cardinals taking part in the election are swept for bugs before entering. Interestingly the words Extra Omnes are then uttered which basically means ‘everyone out’. The Chapel doors are locked at such times and the word ‘conclave’ actually comes from the phrase cum clave or ‘with key’.
During the progress of the papal elections dark smoke is risen up from the chimneys 4 times when cardinal ballot papers are burnt with secret chemicals… this signals the indecisiveness of the papal future, when the Pope is finally elected white smoke is made to rise. The successful candidate is led to the Room of Tears… a small room with a dramatic red couch that’s to the left of the altar and below the last judgement painting. This is where the new pope is dressed in papal cassocks.
At this point the Cardinal Protodeacon (longest serving deacon) goes to the St. Peters balcony and shouts to the massive crowds below ‘Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam’ or ‘I share with you a great joy. We have a Pope’ and then he announces the full name of the Pope. This is followed by the Pope’s appearance on the same balcony, a speech and his 1st blessing. This is an event of monumental proportion in Rome and the two sacred spaces used for it are the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica.
Restoration
The conservation restoration project of the Sistine Chapel was one of the major restoration projects ever. The project was sponsored by a Japanese television corporation and spanned across the 1980’s to 1990’s. The cleaning took off hundreds of years’ worth of dirt, candle soot and grime from the frescoes and exposed startlingly bright colours. The debates hinged on a serious issue that Michelangelo had used dry paint to finish off his painting after the plaster had dried. The restorers had stripped away all layers right down to the plaster and seemingly (as pointed by critics) maligned the artist’s work.
The restoration work finally concluded in 1999 and Pope John Paul II inaugurated the refreshed Sistine Chapel. Supposedly restoring the frescoed walls took more time than painting them (project had begun in 1979). The last phase of the restoration alone cost 3.1 million dollars.
Exteriors
From the outside the Sistine Chapel looks pretty nondescript; it’s a rectangular brick building whose exteriors are not very decorative. There aren’t any exterior facades or grand doorways ….a natural decision since the access is generally from the rooms from inside the Papal Palace. The internal space of the chapel is divided into 3 storeys.
Out of these the lowest storey is basically a basement with many vaults, utility based windows and a door that leads into the exterior court. The middle level is the main chapel (134 feet long and 44 feet wide) that’s roughly the same dimensions of the Temple of Solomon in the Old Testament. The main chapel also has a vaulted ceiling that rises up to 68 feet besides 6 tall arched windows on each side and two at the extreme ends.
What to See
The Ceiling
The original ceiling was midnight blue with tiny golden stars and Michelangelo Buonarroti was commissioned by Pope Julius II in 1508 to repaint the ceiling. Incidentally Michelangelo was most reluctant to take the project which initially constituted of only painting the 12 apostles; the artist saw himself as a sculptor and not a painter. Besides he was already engaged in sculpting Julius 11’s tomb and he protested greatly at this new assignment.
The Pope offered great artistic freedom by asking him to paint whatever religious scenes he chose. Michelangelo responded by painting inspirational biblical images that till today present important theological lessons and represent the essence of Christianity. The world loved Michelangelo’s paintings but he continued to deride the project saying that ‘it almost gave me goitre’.
History says that it took him the greater part between 1508 to 1511 to create the magnificent ceiling and the entire work was done standing on a scaffolding that was attached to holes in the wall via a platform and brackets. Much of the initial work caught mold and Michelangelo Had to scrap it off. That’s when a revolutionary mold resistant plaster called Intonaco was used. Incidentally this superior plaster (invented by Jacopo who was Michelangelo’s student is still used today). There is a profusion of bright colours which is why you can see the scenes in vivid detail. The lowest part of the ceiling has the ancestors of Christ and above them are all male and female prophets while Jonah stands on the altar. The highest section of the ceiling has 9 stories from the Book of Genesis. The panels can be divided into 3 groups that demonstrate the origin of man, universe and evil.
If you start looking from the east wall the first panel is ‘Drunkenness of Noah’ and then there is ‘The Flood’ followed by ‘Sacrifice of Noah’, ‘Original Sin’ and ‘Banishment from Garden of Eden’. The last one is a famous image of God banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden while the snake with the body of a woman is shown coiled around a tree. The next two panels are ‘Creation of Eve’ and then ‘Creation of Adam’. The last piece is famous for showing God (with a beard) instilling life inside Adam by his finger.
Then there the ‘Separation of land from sea’, ‘Creation of sun, planets and moon’ and ‘Separation of darkness and light’ ….the last painting has a rather angry God touching the sun. All around the central panels are 20 well-built male nude figures called the ‘Ignudi’. Most of tem are shown holding acorns that are a consistent motif across all Michelangelo’s frescoes in the chapel. Incidentally Julius II’s family name is Rovere that means “Oak” in Italian.
Michangelo’s acorns are a very subtle way of acknowledging his patron. Incidentally Michelangelo’s bearded representations of God have inspired centuries of art and God is almost always shown as an older man with a beard. The ceiling defies description in the exquisiteness of its colours and beauty and the paintings cover the whole 800 sq. m surface. It’s best viewed from the chapel’s main entrance.
The wall containing the Last Judgement
In 1527 Rome was sacked by the protestant forces (the end of Roman Renaissance) and this was a time of huge uncertainty for the Church. This is precisely when Michelangelo painted the Last Judgement on the west wall… a massive representation of the second coming of Christ and the apocalypse. The paintings show that all the souls of humanity rise and accept their fates and judged by Christ and his team of saints.
Notice the wall creating an overwhelming effect; the painting is designed to instil a sense of fear and invoke piety for the church. Also notice that the figures inside the last judgment appear more tortured and are more muscled; Christ himself appears as heavy muscular (all created to instil a sense of foreboding). Some of the figures inside the painting were naked and there ensued a huge dispute between Michelangelo and Cardinal Carafa who accused the former of obscenity. Subsequently a fig leaf campaign was organised by Cardinal Carafa and Monsignor Sernin to cover the private parts of the naked figures with fig leaves. In 1564 the Council of Trent formally demanded that the ‘nudes’ in the painting be draped with some cover. Later artist Damiele da Volerra painted the aforesaid fig leaves and history calls him by the nickname “II Braghettone” or the Breeches Painter/ Big Pants.
The painting is also known as the Giudizio Universale and it shows Christ in the centre passing sentences over the souls of the dead too as the latter are torn out from their graves. The souls redeemed by Jesus get entry in heaven (depicted on upper right) while the condemned are sent down to the demons in hell (bottom right). Near the bottom of the painting on the right side, there is a man with donkey ears and a snake wrapped around the man. The man is supposed to be Papal master of ceremonies… Biagio de Cesena (incidentally the fierce critic of the artist).
Look at a figure who stands just beneath Christ holding his own flayed skin. Look closely and you will see a tortured face reflected in the skin… that is supposed to be Michelangelo’s own skin (a reference to the artists own doubtful notions about religion).
The Other Walls
The Other Walls of the Chapel are no less spectacular and they are divided into 3 levels. The lowest level is decorated with frescoed wall art in gold and silver and the middle level has 2 dramatic cycles of paintings that complement each other; Life of Christ and Life of Moses. The top level has 2 zones… lower level of the windows have ‘Gallery of Popes’ i.e. painted portraits of the popes and around the arched window tops there are areas known as lunettes which contain paintings called ‘Ancestors of Christ’. The latter was painted by Michelangelo.
If theology interests you then you will appreciate the artistic continuity between the old Covenant and the new Covenant / link between Mosaic Law to Christian religion. The best painters of the 15th century i.e. Ghirlandai, Prugino, Botticelli, Signorelli, Rossellini and their star students Piero di Coosimo, Pinturichhio, Bartolomeo Della Gatta created the Frescoes. Surprisingly it took just 11 months from July 1481 to May 1482 to paint the walls. Every painter submitted a sample fresco and once approved went ahead with their work. Amongst these Botticelli’s work is especially spectacular; he painted ‘Scenes from life of Moses’, ‘temptation of Christ’ and ‘punishments to Korah’.
The walls of the Sistine Chapel defines world history into 3 chapters; before the 10 commandments were passed to Moses, the time between Moses and Christ’s birth and Christianity after that. Pope Sixts IV….the mastermind behind the Sixtus Capel had a firm political goal here… he wanted to show the logic of papal authority coming from Moses unto Christ and then to the lines of Pope ultimately underlining the strength of the church.
Incidentally, these walls were decorated much before the chapel formally opened and the art they display actually brought the renaissance movement into Rome (around 1482). The painted tapestries under the pope’s gallery, story of Moses life and Christ’s life (south entrance walls and north entrance walls) and the Popes’ portraits are all early pieces of work…. created much before Michelangelo’s famed ceiling.
Tips For Visiting
You will not be allowed to speak inside the Sistine Chapel so ask your guide to explain all about its history before you enter inside so that you understand the importance of what you would be viewing.
The Vatican Museums have a one-way viewing circuit and the Sistine Chapel is present right at the end of the circuit. So you need to visit many other parts of the museum before you can actually get to the chapel….not a bad proposition because the museums are full of other stunning arts. However there are so many people stuck in the tapestry hall and gallery of maps (these lead to the chapel) that getting to appreciate the exhibits all around can be challenging. This is precisely why taking up a special tour like the early entry plus breakfast offer is a great idea. You can see the chapel in undisturbed peace before the crowd hits. Learn more about Vatican tours here.
To reach the chapel via the most direct route take the escalators as soon as you get the tickets scanned and take a left turn to walk through the courtyard of Pine cones. Walk across the courtyard and take a left after which you have to go up a flight of stairs. Now you will find the octagonal courtyard….go through the room of animal statues and then through the room of Muses and then the Rotunda Room. Take a left from the Rotunda room and pass through the room with Constantine’s tomb and then take the stairs and continue walking straight. You will reach hall of tapestries and hall of maps. After this if you take a left turn you will reach Raphael’s rooms but if you keep walking straight…you will reach the Sistine chapel.
As you are probably aware of, St. Peter’s Basilica is a stupendous attraction that most tourists visit either before or after the Sistine chapel visit. Normally the queue to visit St. Peter’s Basilica snakes all around the square but if you take the secret passage from Sistine Chapel to the St. Peters Basilica you can totally avoid the lines. The passage is unmarked so you have to keep looking for a door in the right hand side just before the exit from the chapel. You can’t reach the Sistine Chapel from St. Peters by this passage though.
Open Hours, Tours & Tickets
Many tourists prefer to book a small, skip the line tour of Sistine Chapel, St. Peters Basilica and other important sections of the museums like Raphael’s rooms.
Entry to the Sistine Chapel is free if you buy the Vatican Museums ticket. If someone tries to sell you a separate ticket for the chapel then it’s a scam. You are required to buy a 17 euro combined ticket for all of the Vatican Museums (base price). People with Rome city pass can rejoice; the pass enables entrance to the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel plus skip-the-line tickets to St. Peter’s Basilica amongst other things.
You can find many options to explore Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel (including self exploration and private group tour) and book online from this Viator site.
The Sistine Chapel closes half an hour before the museums ( 5:30 pm) though on the special Friday night openings, the Sistine Chapel closes at 10:30 pm. Obviously Friday evenings are the best times to visit if you aren’t taking the early morning tour. Wednesday mornings are also good….the Pope addresses the crowds at St. Peter’s Square and access to the basilica is restricted. Many people wait until they can see both the Basilica and Sistine chapel in one day so crowds may be sparser.
Location & Conveyance
The Sistine Chapel is located in Vatican City and within the Vatican Museum complex. You can take a subway (line A) and get off at Capri or Ottaviano. The Capri stop is nearer but it gets very crowded as the day progresses so you might have to consider Ottaviano as well. You can also take a Tram… the #19 tram will take you right to St. Peter’s stop. Many tour buses stop near the Via della Conciliazione and you can take a short walk to Sistine Chapel.
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.