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{{short description|Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name         = {{unbulleted list
 | Sistine Chapel
 | {{small|{{native name|la|Sacellum Sixtinum}}}}
 | {{small|{{native name|it|Cappella Sistina}}}}
}}
| image                 = Sistina-interno.jpg
| caption               = East side of the Chapel, from the altar end
| map_type              = Vatican
| map_caption           = Location on a map of Vatican City
| location              = [[Vatican City]]
| coordinates           = {{coord|41|54|11|N|12|27|16|E|region:VA|display=inline,title}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Roman Catholic]]
| district              = [[Diocese of Rome]]
| consecration_year     = 15 August 1483
| status                = Papal [[Oratory (worship)|oratory]]
| leadership            = {{Incumbent pope}}
| website               = {{URL|http://mv.vatican.va/}}
| architect             = [[Baccio Pontelli]], Giovanni de Dolci<ref name="EHT2006_313" />
| architecture_type     = Church
| architecture_style    = 
| facade_direction      = 
| groundbreaking        = 1505<ref name="EHT2006_313" />
| year_completed        = 1508<ref name="EHT2006_313" />
| length                = {{convert|40.9|m|ft}}
| width                 = 
| width_nave            = {{convert|13.4|m|ft}}
| height_max            = {{convert|20.7|m|ft}}
| designation1          = WHS
| designation1_offname  = <small>Vatican City</small>
| designation1_date     = 1984<ref>{{Citation |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/286 |title=Vatican City |publisher=Whc.unesco.org |access-date=9 August 2011 |archive-date=25 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225203638/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/286/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| designation1_criteria = i, ii, iv, vi
| designation1_number   = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/286 286]
| designation1_type     = Cultural
| designation1_free1name = State Party
| designation1_free1value = {{flagdeco|VAT}} [[Holy See]]
| designation1_free2name = Region
| designation1_free2value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|Europe and North America]]
}}
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The '''Sistine Chapel''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɪ|s|t|iː|n}} {{respell|SIST|een}}; {{langx|la|Sacellum Sixtinum}}; {{langx|it|Cappella Sistina}} {{IPA|it|kapˈpɛlla siˈstiːna|}}) is a chapel in the [[Apostolic Palace]], the pope's official residence in [[Vatican City]]. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from [[Pope Sixtus IV]], who had it built between 1473 and 1481. Since that time, it has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. Today, it is the site of the [[papal conclave]], the process by which a new pope is selected. The chapel's fame lies mainly in the [[fresco]]es that decorate its interior, most particularly the [[Sistine Chapel ceiling]] and ''[[The Last Judgment (Michelangelo)|The Last Judgment]]'', both by [[Michelangelo]].

During the reign of Sixtus IV, a team of [[Italian Renaissance painting|Renaissance painters]] including [[Sandro Botticelli]], [[Pietro Perugino]], [[Pinturicchio]], [[Domenico Ghirlandaio]] and [[Cosimo Rosselli]], created a series of frescos depicting the ''Life of Moses'' and the ''Life of Christ'', offset by papal portraits above and ''[[trompe-l'œil]]'' drapery below. They were completed in 1482, and on 15 August 1483 Sixtus IV celebrated the first [[mass (liturgy)|mass]] in the Sistine Chapel for the Feast of the [[Assumption of Mary|Assumption]], during which the chapel was consecrated and dedicated to the [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]].<ref name="Pietrangeli1986">{{Harvnb|Pietrangeli|1986|p=28}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Monfasani |first=John |year=1983 |title=A Description of the Sistine Chapel under Pope Sixtus IV |journal=Artibus et Historiae |volume=4 |issue=7 |pages=9–18 |issn=0391-9064 |url=http://www.artibusethistoriae.org/?menu=art&gdzie=artibusChapterResult&id=68 |doi=10.2307/1483178 |publisher=IRSA s.c. |postscript=. |jstor=1483178 |access-date=7 March 2009 |archive-date=1 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801183202/http://artibusethistoriae.org/?menu=art&gdzie=artibusChapterResult&id=68 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Between 1508 and 1512, under the patronage of [[Pope Julius II]], Michelangelo painted the chapel's ceiling, a project that changed the course of Western art and is regarded as one of the major artistic accomplishments of human civilization.<ref>Gardner, Helen (1970) ''Art through the Ages'', p. 469, Harcourt, Brace and World. {{ISBN|978-0-15-508315-8}}</ref><ref>Robert Coughlan, ''The World of Michelangelo'', Time-Life International, (1966) p. 116</ref> In a different political climate, after the [[Sack of Rome (1527)|Sack of Rome]], he returned and, between 1535 and 1541, painted ''The Last Judgment'' for Popes [[Pope Clement VII|Clement VII]] and [[Pope Paul III|Paul III]].<ref>Robert Coughlan, p. 127</ref> The fame of Michelangelo's paintings has drawn multitudes of visitors to the chapel since they were revealed five centuries ago.

== History ==
While known as the location of [[papal conclaves]], the primary function of the Sistine Chapel is as the chapel of the [[Papal Chapel]] (''Cappella Pontificia''), one of the two bodies of the [[papal household]], called until 1968 the ''Papal Court'' (''Pontificalis Aula''). At the time of Pope Sixtus IV in the late 15th century, the Papal Chapel comprised about 200 people, including clerics, officials of the [[Holy See|Vatican]] and distinguished laity. There were 50 occasions during the year on which it was prescribed by the Papal Calendar that the whole Papal Chapel should meet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pietrangeli|1986|p=24}}</ref> Of these 50 occasions, 35 were masses, of which 8 were held in basilicas, in general [[St. Peter's Basilica|St. Peter's]], and were attended by large congregations. These included the Christmas Day and Easter masses, at which the Pope himself was the [[Liturgy|celebrant]]. The other 27 masses could be held in a smaller, less public space, for which the ''Cappella Maggiore'' was used before it was rebuilt on the same site as the Sistine Chapel.

The ''Cappella Maggiore'' derived its name, the Greater Chapel, from the fact that there was another chapel also in use by the Pope and his retinue for daily worship. At the time of Pope Sixtus IV, this was the Chapel of [[Pope Nicholas V]], which had been decorated by [[Fra Angelico]]. The ''Cappella Maggiore'' is recorded as existing in 1368. According to a communication from Andreas of Trebizond to Pope Sixtus IV, by the time of its demolition to make way for the present chapel, the ''Cappella Maggiore ''was in a ruinous state with its walls leaning.<ref name="Shearman">John Shearman, "The Chapel of Sixtus IV". In {{Harvnb|Pietrangeli|1986}}</ref>
[[File:Cappella sistina, aspetto originario, stampa del XIX secolo.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Sistine Chapel as it may have appeared in the 15th century (19th-century drawing)]]
The present chapel, on the site of the ''Cappella Maggiore'', was designed by [[Baccio Pontelli]] for Pope Sixtus IV, for whom it is named, and built under the supervision of Giovannino de Dolci between 1473 and 1481.<ref name="EHT2006_313">{{Harvnb|Ekelund|Hébert|Tollison|2006|p=313}}</ref> The proportions of the present chapel appear to closely follow those of the original. After its completion, the chapel was decorated with frescoes by a number of the most famous artists of the [[High Renaissance]], including [[Sandro Botticelli]], [[Domenico Ghirlandaio]], [[Pietro Perugino]], and [[Michelangelo]].<ref name="Shearman" />

The first [[mass (liturgy)|mass]] in the Sistine Chapel was celebrated on 15 August 1483, the Feast of the [[Assumption of Mary|Assumption]], at which ceremony the chapel was consecrated and dedicated to the [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]].<ref>{{Citation |url=http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Storia.html |title=The Sistine Chapel |work=Vatican Museums |access-date=9 August 2013 |archive-date=11 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811075938/http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Storia.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Sistine Chapel has maintained its function to the present day and continues to host the important services of the Papal Calendar, unless the Pope is travelling. There is a permanent choir, the [[Sistine Chapel Choir]], for whom much original music has been written, the most famous piece being [[Gregorio Allegri]]'s ''[[Miserere (Allegri)|Miserere]]''.<ref>[[Abel Stevens|Stevens, Abel]] & Floy, James. "Allegri's Miserere". ''The National Magazine'', Carlton & Phillip, 1854. 531.</ref>

=== Papal conclave ===
{{Main|Papal conclave}}
One of the functions of the Sistine Chapel is as a venue for the election of each successive pope in a conclave of the [[College of Cardinals]]. On the occasion of a conclave, a chimney is installed in the roof of the chapel, from which smoke arises as a signal. If white smoke, which is created by burning the ballots of the election, appears, a new Pope has been elected. If no candidate receives the required two-thirds vote, the cardinals send up black smoke—created by burning the ballots along with wet straw and chemical additives—it means that no successful election has yet occurred.<ref>Saunders, Fr. William P. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20071111005421/http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/05ws/ws050317.htm The Path to the Papacy]". ''Arlington Catholic Herald'', 17 March 2005. Retrieved on 2 June 2008.</ref>

The first papal conclave to be held on the Sistine Chapel was the [[conclave of 1492]], which took place from 6 to 11 August of the same year and in which [[Pope Alexander VI]], also known as Rodrigo Borja, was elected.

The conclave also provided for the cardinals a space in which they could hear mass, and in which they could eat, sleep, and pass time attended by servants. From 1455, conclaves have been held in the [[Vatican Palace]]; until the [[Western Schism|Great Schism]], they were held in the [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] convent of [[Santa Maria sopra Minerva]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Chambers |first=D. S. |year=1978 |title=Papal Conclaves and Prophetic Mystery in the Sistine Chapel |journal=Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes |volume=41 |pages=322–326 |doi=10.2307/750878 |publisher=The Warburg Institute |postscript=. |jstor=750878|s2cid=195032159 }}</ref> Since 1996, [[John Paul II]]'s [[Apostolic Constitution]] ''[[Universi Dominici gregis]]'' requires the cardinals to be lodged in the [[Domus Sanctae Marthae]] during a papal conclave, but to continue to vote in the Sistine Chapel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ewtn.com/HolySee/Interregnum/domus.asp|title=Interesting Conclave Facts|work=ewtn.com|access-date=9 August 2011|archive-date=12 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712081751/http://www.ewtn.com/HolySee/Interregnum/domus.asp|url-status=live}}</ref>

Canopies for each cardinal-elector were once used during conclaves—a sign of equal dignity. After the new Pope accepts his election, he would give his new name; at this time, the other Cardinals would tug on a rope attached to their seats to lower their canopies. Until reforms instituted by [[Saint Pius X]], the canopies were of different colours to designate which Cardinals had been appointed by which Pope. [[Pope Paul VI|Paul VI]] abolished the canopies altogether, since, under his papacy, the population of the College of Cardinals had increased so much to the point that they would need to be seated in rows of two against the walls, making the canopies obstruct the view of the cardinals in the back row. In the wake of a conclave taking place to preserve the integrity of the marble floor on the Sistine Chapel, carpenters install a slightly elevated wooden floor alongside a wooden ramp in the entrance for those Cardinals who for one reason or another need to be transported in a wheelchair.

== Architecture ==
{{More citations needed|date=December 2022}}

=== Structure ===
[[File:Cappella Sistina - 2005.jpg|thumb|Exterior of the Sistine Chapel]]

The chapel is about 35&nbsp;metres (118&nbsp;feet) long and {{Convert|14|m|abbr=on}} wide,<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Osborne|first1=Harold|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000unse_r1z5/page/475/|pages=474–476|title=The Oxford Companion to Western Art|last2=Brigstocke|first2=Hugh|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2001|isbn=0-19-866203-3|editor-last=Brigstocke|editor-first=Hugh|edition=1st|language=en|chapter=Michelangelo Buonarroti|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198662037.001.0001}}</ref>  with the ceiling rising to about {{Convert|20|m|abbr=on}} above the main floor.<ref name="Shearman" />{{rp|28}}<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Malley|first=John|author-link=John W. O'Malley|year=1986|title=The Sistine Chapel: The Art, the History, and the Restoration|chapter=''"The Theology Behind Michelangelo's Ceiling"''|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sistinechapelart0000unse/page/92|pages=128}}</ref>

Its exterior is unadorned by architectural or decorative details, as is common in many Italian churches of the [[Medieval architecture|Medieval]] and [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]] eras. It has no exterior façade or exterior processional doorways, as the ingress has always been from internal rooms within the Apostolic Palace (Papal Palace), and the exterior can be seen only from nearby windows and light-wells in the palace. Subsidence and cracking of masonry also have affected the Cappella Maggiore, necessitating the building of very large [[buttress]]es to brace the exterior walls. The accretion of other buildings has further altered the exterior appearance of the chapel.

The building is divided into three stories of which the lowest is a very tall basement level with several utilitarian windows and a doorway giving onto the exterior court. Internally, the basement is robustly vaulted to support the chapel. The building had six tall arched windows down each side and two at either end, several of which have been blocked. Above the vault is a third story with wardrooms for guards. At this level, an open projecting [[wikt:gangway|gangway]] was constructed, which encircled the building supported on an arcade springing from the walls. The gangway has been roofed as it was a continual source of water leaking into the vault of the chapel.

=== Interior of the Sistine Chapel ===
The general proportions of the chapel use the length as the unit of measurement. This has been divided by three to get the width and by two to get the height. Maintaining the ratio, there were six windows down each side and two at either end. Defined proportions were a feature of Renaissance architecture and reflected the growing interest in the Classical heritage of Rome.

[[File:Cappella sistina, ricostruzione dell'interno prima degli interventi di Michelangelo, stampa del XIX secolo.jpg|thumb|left|A reconstruction of the appearance of the west Wall chapel in the 1480s, prior to the painting of the ceiling]]

[[File:Assumption of Mary perugino drawing.jpg|thumb|left|Drawing by [[Pinturicchio]] of Perugino's lost ''Assumption'' in the Sistine Chapel]]
[[File:Sistina con arazzi.jpg|thumb|left|Raphael tapestries in the Sistine Chapel]]

The ceiling of the chapel is a flattened [[barrel vault]] springing from a course that encircles the walls at the level of the springing of the window arches. This barrel vault is cut transversely by smaller vaults over each window, which divide the barrel vault at its lowest level into a series of large [[pendentive]]s rising from shallow pilasters between each window. The barrel vault was originally painted brilliant-blue and dotted with gold stars, to the design of [[Piermatteo Lauro de' Manfredi da Amelia]].<ref name="Shearman" /> The pavement is in [[opus alexandrinum]], a decorative style using marble and coloured stone in a pattern that reflects the earlier proportion in the division of the interior and also marks the processional way from the main door, used by the Pope on important occasions such as [[Palm Sunday]].

A screen or ''transenna'' in marble by [[Mino da Fiesole]], [[Andrea Bregno]], and [[Giovanni Dalmata]] divides the chapel into two parts.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hersey|1993|p=180}}</ref> Originally these made equal space for the members of the Papal Chapel within the sanctuary near the [[altar]] and the pilgrims and townsfolk without. However, with growth in the number of those attending the Pope, the screen was moved giving a reduced area for the faithful laity. The ''transenna'' is surmounted by a row of ornate candlesticks, once gilt, and has a wooden door, where once there was an ornate door of gilded wrought iron. The sculptors of the ''transenna'' also provided the ''cantoria'' or projecting choir gallery.

== Decoration ==
[[File:Sistine Chapel vertical scheme.PNG|thumb|upright=1.2|Diagram of part of the vertical fresco decoration of the Sistine Chapel]]

=== History ===
The first stage in the decoration of the Sistine Chapel was the painting of the ceiling in blue, studded with gilt stars,<ref name="Shearman" /> and with decorative borders around the architectural details of the pendentives. This was entirely replaced when Michelangelo came to work on the ceiling in [[1508]].

Of the present scheme of frescos, the earliest part is that of the side walls. They are divided into three main tiers. The central tier of the walls has two cycles of paintings, which complement each other, ''The Life of Moses'' and ''The Life of Christ''. They were commissioned in 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV and executed by [[Domenico Ghirlandaio]], Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, [[Cosimo Rosselli]] and their workshops. They originally ran all round the walls, but have since been replaced on both end walls.

The project was perhaps supervised by Perugino, who arrived at the chapel prior to the Florentines. It is probable that the commission of Ghirlandaio, Botticelli and Roselli was part of a reconciliation project between [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], the ''de facto'' ruler of [[Republic of Florence|Florence]], and [[Pope Sixtus IV]]. The Florentines started to work in the Sistine Chapel in the spring of 1481.

Beneath the cycles of ''The Life of Moses'' and ''The Life of Christ'', the lower level of the walls is decorated with frescoed hangings in silver and gold. Above the narrative frescos, the upper tier is divided into two zones. At the lower level of the windows is a ''Gallery of Popes'' painted at the same time as the ''Lives''. Around the arched tops of the windows are areas known as the ''[[lunette]]s'' which contain the ''Ancestors of Christ'', painted by Michelangelo as part of the scheme for the ceiling.

The ceiling was commissioned by [[Pope Julius II]] and painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. The commission was originally to paint the twelve apostles on the triangular [[pendentive]]s which support the vault; however, Michelangelo demanded a free hand in the pictorial content of the scheme. He painted a series of nine pictures showing ''God's Creation of the World'', ''God's Relationship with Mankind'', and ''Mankind's Fall from God's Grace''. On the large pendentives he painted twelve Biblical and Classical men and women who prophesied that God would send Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind, and around the upper parts of the windows, the ''[[Ancestors of Christ]]''.

In 1515, [[Raphael]] was commissioned by [[Pope Leo X]] to design a series of ten tapestries to hang around the lower tier of the walls.<ref>{{Harvnb|Talvacchia|2007|p=150}}</ref> The tapestries depict events from the ''Life of St. Peter'' [four tapestries] the ''Life of St. Paul'' [six tapestries], the founders of the Christian Church in Rome as described in the [[Gospels]] and the [[Acts of the Apostles]]. Work began in mid-1515. Due to their large size, manufacture of the hangings was carried out in Brussels, and took four years under the hands of the weavers in the shop of [[Pieter van Aelst III|Pieter van Aelst]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Talvacchia|2007|p=152}}</ref> Raphael's tapestries were looted during the [[Sack of Rome (1527)|Sack of Rome]] in 1527 and were either burnt for their precious metal content or were scattered around Europe. In the late 20th century, a set was reassembled from several further sets that had been made after the first set, and displayed again in the Sistine Chapel in 1983. The tapestries continue to be used at occasional ceremonies of particular importance. The full-size preparatory [[cartoon]]s for seven of the 10 tapestries are known as the [[Raphael Cartoons]] and are in London.<ref>Cheney, Iris. Review of "Raphael's Cartoons in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen and the Tapestries for the Sistine Chapel" by John Shearman. ''The Art Bulletin'', Volume 56, No. 4, December 1974. 607–609.</ref>

At this point, the decorative scheme displayed a consistent iconographical pattern. The tier of Popes, which, in the scheme intended by Pope Julius, would have appeared immediately below the Twelve Apostles, would have emphasised the [[apostolic succession]]. It has been argued that the present scheme shows the two Biblical Testaments merged in order to reveal the Old predicting and framing the New, synthesizing the logic of the Christian Bible.<ref>Oliveira, Paulo Martins "[https://www.academia.edu/8579071/_Eng_The_Sistine_Chapel_and_the_two_Testaments The Sistine Chapel and the two Testaments] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102142511/http://www.academia.edu/8579071/_Eng_The_Sistine_Chapel_and_the_two_Testaments |date=2 January 2016 }}", 2013, (online, academia.edu)</ref>

This was disrupted by a further commission to Michelangelo to decorate the wall above the altar with ''[[The Last Judgment (Michelangelo)|The Last Judgment]]'', 1537–1541. The painting of this scene necessitated the obliteration of two episodes from the ''Lives''—the ''Nativity of Jesus'' and the ''[[Moses#Biblical narrative|Finding of Moses]]''; several of the ''Popes''; and two sets of ''Ancestors''.

== Frescoes ==
[[File:Eventos de la vida de Moisés (Sandro Botticelli).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|''[[Trials of Moses (Botticelli)|Trials of Moses]]'' by Botticelli]]

=== Southern wall ===
The southern wall is decorated with the ''Stories of Moses'', painted in 1481–1482. Starting from the altar, they include:
* ''[[Moses Leaving for Egypt (Perugino)|Moses Leaving for Egypt]]'' by [[Pietro Perugino]] and assistants
* ''[[The Trials of Moses]]'' by [[Sandro Botticelli]] and his workshop
* ''[[The Crossing of the Red Sea (Sistine Chapel)|The Crossing of the Red Sea]]'' by [[Cosimo Rosselli]], [[Domenico Ghirlandaio]] or [[Biagio di Antonio Tucci]]
* ''[[Descent from Mount Sinai (Sistine Chapel)|Descent from Mount Sinai]]'' by Cosimo Rosselli or [[Piero di Cosimo]]
* ''[[Punishment of the Rebels]]'' by Sandro Botticelli
* ''[[Testament and Death of Moses]]'' by [[Luca Signorelli]] or [[Bartolomeo della Gatta]]
<gallery>
File:Pietro Perugino cat13d.jpg|Moses Leaving for Egypt
File:Botticcelli, Sandro - The Punishment of Korah and the Stoning of Moses and Aaron - 1481-82.jpg|Punishment of the Rebels
</gallery>

=== Northern wall ===
[[File:Perugino - Entrega de las llaves a San Pedro (Capilla Sixtina, 1481-82).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|''[[Delivery of the Keys]]'' by Perugino]]
The northern wall houses the ''Stories of Jesus'', dating to 1481–1482. They include:
* ''[[Baptism of Christ (Sistine Chapel)|Baptism of Christ]]'' by Pietro Perugino and assistants
* ''[[Temptations of Christ (Botticelli)|Temptations of Christ]]'' by Sandro Botticelli
* ''[[Vocation of the Apostles]]'' by Domenico Ghirlandaio
* The ''[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cosimo_Rosselli_Sermone_della_Montagna.jpg Sermon on the Mount]'', attributed to Cosimo Rosselli
* The ''[[Delivery of the Keys]]'' by Pietro Perugino
* The ''[[Last Supper (Rosselli)|Last Supper]]'' by Cosimo Rosselli

<gallery>
File:Cosimo_Rosselli_Sermone_della_Montagna.jpg| Sermon on the Mount
File:Perugino - Entrega de las llaves a San Pedro (Capilla Sixtina, 1481-82).jpg|''[[Delivery of the Keys]]'' 
</gallery>

=== Eastern wall ===
[[File:Hendrick van den Broeck - Resurrección de Cristo (Capilla Sixtina, Roma, 1572-85).jpg|thumb|300px|''Resurrection of Christ'']]
*''[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hendrick_van_den_Broeck_-_The_resurrection_of_Christ.jpg Resurrection of Christ]'' by [[Hendrick van den Broeck]] (1572) over Domenico Ghirlandaio's original
* ''[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matteo_da_Lecce_-_Disputa_junto_al_cuerpo_de_Moisés_(Capilla_Sixtina,_Roma,_1572-85).jpg Disputation over Moses' Body]'' by [[Matteo da Lecce]] (1574) over Luca Signorelli's original

=== Michelangelo's frescoes ===
[[File:Creación de Adám.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|''[[The Creation of Adam]]'' by Michelangelo]]
Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II in 1508 to repaint the vault, or ceiling, of the chapel.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Marinazzo|first=Adriano|date=2013|title=Ipotesi su un disegno michelangiolesco del foglio XIII, 175 v, dell'Archivio Buonarroti|url=https://www.academia.edu/19527167|journal=Commentari d'arte|volume=52–53|pages=108–110|access-date=29 March 2021|archive-date=2 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102172743/https://www.academia.edu/19527167|url-status=live}}</ref> The work was completed between 1508 and late 1512.<ref name="Dixon2">{{Harvnb|Graham-Dixon|2009|p=2}}</ref> He painted the ''Last Judgment'' over the [[altar]], between 1535 and 1541, on commission from [[Pope Paul III]] Farnese.<ref>{{Citation |last=Stollhans |first=Cynthia |year=1988 |title=Michelangelo's Nude Saint Catherine of Alexandria |journal=Woman's Art Journal |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=26–30 |issn=0270-7993 |doi=10.2307/1358651 |publisher=Woman's Art, Inc. |postscript=. |jstor=1358651}}</ref>

Michelangelo was intimidated by the scale of the commission, and made it known from the outset of Julius II's approach that he would prefer to decline. He felt he was more of a sculptor than a painter, and was suspicious that such a large-scale project was being offered to him by enemies as a set-up for an inevitable fall. For Michelangelo, the project was a distraction from the major marble sculpture that had preoccupied him for the previous few years.<ref>{{Harvnb|Graham-Dixon|2009|p=1}}</ref>
The sources of Michelangelo's inspiration are not easily determined; both Joachite and [[Augustinianism|Augustinian]] theologians were within the sphere of Julius' influence.<ref>{{Harvnb|Graham-Dixon|2009|p=xi}}</ref>

==== Ceiling ====
{{Main|Sistine Chapel ceiling}}
{{See also|Gallery of Sistine Chapel ceiling}}
[[File:Chapelle sixtine plafond.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|A section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling]]
To be able to reach the ceiling, Michelangelo needed a support; the first idea was by Julius' favoured architect [[Donato Bramante]], who wanted to build for him a [[Scaffolding|scaffold]] to be suspended in the air with ropes. However, Bramante did not successfully complete the task, and the structure he built was flawed. He had perforated the vault in order to lower strings to secure the scaffold. Michelangelo laughed when he saw the structure, and believed it would leave holes in the ceiling once the work was ended. He asked Bramante what was to happen when the painter reached the perforations, but the architect had no answer.

The matter was taken before the Pope, who ordered Michelangelo to build a scaffold of his own. Michelangelo created a flat wooden platform on brackets built out from holes in the wall, high up near the top of the windows. Contrary to popular belief, he did not lie on this scaffolding while he painted, but painted from a standing position.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-sistine-chapel |title=7 Things You May Not Know About the Sistine Chapel |access-date=12 February 2014 |archive-date=20 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720163315/http://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-sistine-chapel |url-status=live }}</ref>

Michelangelo used bright colours, easily visible from the floor. On the lowest part of the ceiling he painted the ancestors of Christ. Above this he alternated male and female prophets, with [[Jonah]] over the altar. On the highest section, Michelangelo painted nine stories from the [[Book of Genesis]]. He was originally commissioned to paint only twelve figures, the [[Twelve Apostles|Apostles]]. He turned down the commission because he saw himself as a sculptor, not a painter. The Pope offered to allow Michelangelo to paint biblical scenes of his own choice as a compromise. After the work was finished, there were more than three hundred figures. His figures showed the creation, [[Adam and Eve]] in the [[Garden of Eden]], and the [[Great Flood]].

The painted area is about 40&nbsp;m (131&nbsp;ft) long by 13&nbsp;m (43&nbsp;ft) wide. This means that Michelangelo painted well over {{convert|5000|sqft|m2}} of frescoes.<ref>{{citation |url=http://arthistory.about.com/od/famous_paintings/a/sischap_ceiling.htm |title=Michelangelo – The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, "Seven Common Questions About the Frescoes" |access-date=31 January 2011 |archive-date=22 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822041856/http://arthistory.about.com/od/famous_paintings/a/sischap_ceiling.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====''The Last Judgement''====<!---NOTE: BRITISH English in use. Do not remove the "e".--->
{{Main|The Last Judgment (Michelangelo)}}
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2020}}
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| caption2          = ''The Last Judgement'' as it exists today
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''The Last Judgement'' was painted by Michelangelo from 1535 to 1541, between two important historic events: the Sack of Rome by mercenary forces of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in 1527, and the [[Council of Trent]] which commenced in 1545. The work was designed on a grand scale, and spans the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. The painting depicts the second coming of Christ on the [[Last Judgment|Day of Judgment]] as described in the [[Revelation of John]], Chapter 20. High on the wall is the heroic figure of Christ, with the saints clustered in groups around him. At the bottom left of the painting the dead are raised from their graves and ascend to be judged. To the right are those who are assigned to [[Hell]] and are dragged down by demons.

''The Last Judgement'' was an object of a bitter dispute between [[Pope Paul IV|Cardinal Carafa]] and Michelangelo. Because he depicted naked figures, the artist was accused of immorality and obscenity. A censorship campaign (known as the "Fig-Leaf Campaign") was organized by Carafa and Monsignor Sernini ([[Mantua]]'s ambassador) to remove the frescoes. From this campaign drew support for the more natural state of the figures. In response, phallic imagery began permeating throughout Vatican City, beginning the trend of the crude drawings in places such as in graffiti art in bathrooms, textbooks, and other public places to be easily found. This trend continues to the present day.

The Pope's Master of Ceremonies [[Biagio da Cesena]] said "it was most disgraceful that in so sacred a place there should have been depicted all those nude figures, exposing themselves so shamefully, and that it was no work for a papal chapel but rather for the public baths and taverns."<ref>{{Harvnb|Vasari|1987|p=379}}</ref> In response Michelangelo worked da Cesena's semblance into the scene as [[Minos]], judge of the underworld. It is said that when he complained to the Pope, the pontiff responded that his jurisdiction did not extend to hell, so the portrait would have to remain. Michelangelo also painted his own portrait, on the flayed skin held by [[St Bartholomew]].

The [[Sex organs|genitalia]] in the fresco were later covered by the artist [[Daniele da Volterra]], whom history remembers by the derogatory nickname "Il Braghettone" ("the breeches-painter").

== Restoration and controversy ==
{{Main|Restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes}}
The Sistine Chapel's ceiling restoration began on 7 November 1984. When the restoration was completed, the chapel was re-opened to the public on 8 April 1994. The part of the restoration in the Sistine Chapel that has caused the most concern is the ceiling, painted by Michelangelo. The emergence of the brightly coloured [[Ancestors of Christ]] from the gloom sparked a reaction of fear that the processes being employed in the cleaning were too severe and removed the original intent of the artist.
[[File:Sistine Chapel Daniel beforandafter.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Daniel, before and after the restoration]]
The problem lies in the analysis and understanding of the techniques utilised by Michelangelo, and the technical response of the restorers to that understanding. A close examination of the frescoes of the [[lunette]]s convinced the restorers that Michelangelo worked exclusively in "[[buon fresco]]"; that is, the artist worked only on freshly laid plaster and each section of work was completed while the plaster was still in its fresh state. In other words, they believed Michelangelo did not work "[[Fresco-secco|a secco]]"; he did not come back later and add details onto the dry plaster.

The restorers, by assuming that the artist took a universal approach to the painting, have taken a universal approach to the restoration. A decision was made that all of the shadowy layer of animal glue and "lamp black", all of the wax, and all of the overpainted areas were contamination of one sort or another: smoke deposits, earlier restoration attempts, and painted definition by later restorers in an attempt to enliven the appearance of the work. Based on this decision, according to Arguimbau's critical reading of the restoration data that have been provided, the [[chemist]]s of the restoration team decided upon a [[solvent]] that would effectively strip the ceiling down to its paint-impregnated plaster. After treatment, only that which was painted "buon fresco" would remain.<ref name= PLA>{{cite web
  | last =Arguimbau
  | first =Peter Layne
  | title =Michelangelo's Cleaned off Sistine Chapel
  | publisher =Arguimbau
  | date =5 October 2006
  | url =http://www.arguimbau.net/article.php?sid=8
  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928205053/http://www.arguimbau.net/article.php?sid=8
  | archive-date = 28 September 2007}}</ref>
{{clear left}}

== Replicas ==

The only reproduction of the Sistine Chapel ceiling was painted by Gary Bevans at [[English Martyrs' Catholic Church, Goring-by-Sea|English Martyrs' Catholic Church]] in [[Goring-by-Sea]], [[Worthing]], West Sussex, England.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.sistinechapeluk.co.uk/ |title=Welcome to The Sistine Chapel Reproduction United Kingdom |access-date=8 July 2016 |archive-date=26 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626111037/http://www.sistinechapeluk.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A full-size architectural and photographic replica of the entire building was commissioned by the Mexican Government and funded by private donors.<ref>{{citation |url=https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/sistine-chapel-replica-mexico-515072 |title=Vatican Approves $2.4 Million Replica of Sistine Chapel in Mexico City |date=9 June 2016 |access-date=8 July 2016 |archive-date=7 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807021251/https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/sistine-chapel-replica-mexico-515072 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was on view at Mexico City from 1 June to 15 July 2016. It took 2.6 million high definition photographs to reproduce the totality of the frescoes and tapestries.<ref>{{citation | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-art-idUSKCN0YV2P1/ | title=Full-size replica of Vatican's Sistine Chapel opens in Mexico City | work=Reuters | date=9 June 2016 | access-date=2 July 2017 | archive-date=20 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220201353/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-art-idUSKCN0YV2P1 | url-status=live }}</ref> A video of the history of the chapel is shown to the visitors before entering the building; inside, a light-and-sound demonstration explains the content of each of the frescoes.

== Quotes on Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel ==
{{blockquote|text=Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.| sign= [[Johann Wolfgang Goethe]], 23 August 1787|source=<ref>Letter. Original: {{in lang|de}} ''Ich kann euch nicht ausdrücken, wie sehr ich euch zu mir gewünscht habe, damit ihr nur einen Begriff hättet, was ein einziger und ganzer Mensch machen und ausrichten kann; ohne die Sixtinische Kapelle gesehen zu haben, kann man sich keinen anschauenden Begriff machen, was ein Mensch vermag.'' [[Italian Journey]], 2nd journey to Rome.<sup>[https://www.fulltextarchive.com/page/Italienische-Reise-Teil-21/#p195 Italienische Reise, Teil 21] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713125644/https://www.fulltextarchive.com/page/Italienische-Reise-Teil-21/#p195 |date=13 July 2020 }}</sup></ref>
}}

{{blockquote|text=This work has been and truly is a beacon of our art, and it has brought such benefit and enlightenment to the art of painting that it was sufficient to illuminate a world which for so many hundreds of years had remained in the state of darkness. And, to tell the truth, anyone who is a painter no longer needs to concern himself about seeing innovations and inventions, new ways of painting poses, clothing on figures, and various awe-inspiring details, for Michelangelo gave to this work all the perfection that can be given to such details.|sign=[[Giorgio Vasari]] on Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel}}

== Music ==
Since the chapel's inception, the Sistine Chapel Choir has sung without the accompaniment of musical instruments as instruments were not permitted to be played inside the chapel.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Garretson|first=Robert|title=Choral Music History, Style, and Performance Practice|publisher=Prentice Hall|year=1993|isbn=0131371916|pages=23}}</ref> This was problematic as there was no way of giving the musical starting pitch to the choir. Instead of allowing an instrument to give the starting pitch, the solution was to allow the individual singing first to choose the starting pitch. This instruction was given after an apostolic visitation of the choir in 1630:

''Quando si ha da cominciare a cantare ciascuno lasci cominciare il più vecchio, quale se non intonata bene dovere essere puntato con rigore.''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kreitner|first=Kenneth|title=Renaissance Music|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2017|isbn=978-1351551465}}</ref>

On February 19, 2014, Canadian violinist [[Rosemary Siemens]] became the first solo instrumentalist to perform at the Sistine Chapel.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Butz|first=Melissa|date=December 1, 2019|title=First violinist to play in Sistine Chapel hopes to one day play for the pope|work=Rome Reports|url=https://www.romereports.com/en/2019/12/01/first-violinist-to-play-in-sistine-chapel-hopes-to-one-day-play-for-the-pope/|access-date=23 July 2021|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921163743/https://www.romereports.com/en/2019/12/01/first-violinist-to-play-in-sistine-chapel-hopes-to-one-day-play-for-the-pope/|url-status=live}}</ref> The historic performance was for an event entitled Spiritual Elevation as part of the [[:de:Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra|Fondazione Pro Musical e Arte Sacra]] where Siemens was a featured guest soloist alongside vocalist [[Mary Zilba]] and harpist Mark Edward Spencer.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McLellan|first=Wendy|date=May 4, 2016|title=Vancouver violinist edges out U2 guitarist to play the Sistine Chapel|work=The Province|url=https://theprovince.com/entertainment/music/vancouver-violinist-edges-out-u2-guitarist-to-play-the-sistine-chapel|access-date=23 July 2021|archive-date=23 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723203317/https://theprovince.com/entertainment/music/vancouver-violinist-edges-out-u2-guitarist-to-play-the-sistine-chapel|url-status=live}}</ref> Siemens, Zilba, and Spencer performed a medley that included the hymns "[[Amazing Grace]]" and "[[Be Thou My Vision]]".<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 20, 2014|title=Sistine Chapel-1st Violinist EVER allowed to play since 1473 Amazing Grace, Rosemary Siemens, violin|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRe8WeSrXt0|website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/CRe8WeSrXt0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160626110419/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRe8WeSrXt0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}.</ref> The historic performance took place in concert with the Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus, led by conductor Candace Wicke.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 20, 2014|title=Continuo Arts Chorus to perform at the Sistine Chapel|work=NJ.com|url=https://www.nj.com/independentpress/2014/01/continuo_arts_chorus_to_perfor.html|access-date=23 July 2021|archive-date=23 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723203315/https://www.nj.com/independentpress/2014/01/continuo_arts_chorus_to_perfor.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Siemens also joined the Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus for a Requiem entitled "Requiem For My Mother", composed by Stephen Edwards.

On April 29, 2016, [[The Edge]] ([[U2]]) became the first rock artist to stage a contemporary music concert at the chapel as part of a conference on regenerative medicines entitled Cellular Horizons.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Denham|first=Jess|date=May 3, 2016|title=The Edge becomes first rock star to play the Sistine Chapel|work=Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-edge-becomes-first-rock-star-to-play-the-sistine-chapel-a7011056.html|access-date=23 July 2021|archive-date=18 June 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-edge-becomes-first-rock-star-to-play-the-sistine-chapel-a7011056.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Edge performed "[[Walk On (U2 song)|Walk On]]", "[[Yahweh (song)|Yahweh]]", "[[Ordinary Love (U2 song)|Ordinary Love]]", by U2 as well as a [[Leonard Cohen]] cover of "If It Be Your Will" backed by an Irish Choir.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=May 2, 2016|title=Watch U2's the Edge Perform Sistine Chapel Concert|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-u2s-the-edge-perform-sistine-chapel-concert-55542/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=23 July 2021|archive-date=23 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723203315/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-u2s-the-edge-perform-sistine-chapel-concert-55542/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2017, [[Cecilia Bartoli]] became the first woman to perform alongside the all-male Sistine Chapel Choir. Bartoli performed Beata Viscera by medieval composer [[Pérotin]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Giuffrida|first=Angela|date=November 19, 2017|title=Sistine Chapel breaks 500-year gender taboo to welcome soprano into the choir|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/19/first-woman-in-sistine-chapel-choir-cecilia-bartoli|access-date=23 July 2021|archive-date=23 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723203315/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/19/first-woman-in-sistine-chapel-choir-cecilia-bartoli|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first ever live-streamed concert at the chapel took place on April 22, 2018, featuring a performance of Scottish composer [[James MacMillan|James MacMillian]]'s version of the [[Stabat Mater]] by the British Choir group The Sixteen and chamber orchestra ensemble Britten Sinfonia.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Carrier|first=Fanny|date=April 23, 2018|title=Vatican streams first live concert from Sistine Chapel|work=The Local|url=https://www.thelocal.it/20180423/vatican-streams-first-live-concert-from-sistine-chapel/|access-date=23 July 2021|archive-date=23 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723203315/https://www.thelocal.it/20180423/vatican-streams-first-live-concert-from-sistine-chapel/|url-status=live}}</ref> The concert was attended live by over three hundred people and streamed live over the website of [[Classic FM (UK)|Classic FM]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|Architecture|Vatican City}}
* [[Art patronage of Julius II]]
* [[Index of Vatican City-related articles]]
* [[Santa Maria Maggiore]]
* ''[[The Agony and the Ecstasy (film)]]'' 1965
{{Clear}}
* [[List of tourist attractions in Rome]]

== References ==
;Citations
{{Reflist|30em}}
;Bibliography
{{Refbegin|30em}}
*{{Citation |last=Deimling |first=Barbara |title=Sandro Botticelli 1444/45–1510 |publisher=Taschen |location=Köln |year=2000 |isbn=3-8228-5992-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sandrobotticelli0000deim }}
* {{Citation |last=Earls |first=Irene |title=Renaissance Art: A Topical Dictionary |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport |year=1987 |isbn=0-313-24658-0}}
* {{citation |last1=Ekelund |first1=Robert B. |first2=Robert F. |last2=Hébert |last3=Tollison |first3=Robert D. |title=The Marketplace of Christianity |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |location=Cambridge |year=2006 |isbn=0-262-05082-X}}
* {{Citation |last=Graham-Dixon |first=Andrew |title=Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |location=London |orig-year=2008 |year=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1Rh-q0jsN0C |isbn=9781602393684 }}
* {{Citation |last=Hersey |first=George |title=High Renaissance Art in St. Peter's and the Vatican |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |location=Chicago |year=1993 |isbn=0-226-32782-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/highrenaissancea0000hers }}
* {{Citation |last=Michelangelo| editor-last = Bull | editor-first = George |author-link=Michelangelo |title=Michelangelo, Life, Letters, and Poetry |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford Oxfordshire |year=1999 |isbn=0-19-283770-2}}
* {{citation| editor-last = Pietrangeli | editor-first = Carlo |title=The Sistine Chapel |publisher=Harmony Books |location=New York |year=1986 |isbn=0-517-56274-X}}
* {{Citation |last=Seymour |first=Charles |title=Michelangelo, the Sistine Chapel Ceiling: illustrations, introductory essays, backgrounds and sources, critical essay |publisher=W. W. Norton |location=New York |year=1972 |isbn=0-393-04319-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/michelangelosist0000seym }}
* {{Citation |last=Stinger |first=Charles |title=The Renaissance in Rome |publisher=Indianapolis |location=Bloomington |year=1998 |isbn=0-253-21208-1}}
* {{Citation |last=Talvacchia |first=Bette |title=Raphael |publisher=Phaidon Press |location=Oxford Oxfordshire |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7148-4786-3}}
* {{Citation |last=Vasari |first=Giorgio |title=The Lives of the Artists |publisher=Penguin Books |location=New York |year=1987 |isbn=0-14-044500-5 |others=George Bull |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/livesofartists02vasa }}
* {{Citation |last=Wright |first=Lawrence |title=Perspective in Perspective |publisher=Routledge & K. Paul |location=London |year=1983 |isbn=0-7100-0791-4}}
* {{Citation|last=Paolucci|first=Antonio|title=La Cappella Sistina|url=https://www.scriptamaneant.com/sm/negozio/the-sistine-chapel-3-volumes/?lang=en|pages=254|year=2016|place=Bologna|publisher=Edizioni Musei Vaticani - Scripta Maneant Editore|access-date=30 January 2019|archive-date=30 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130230956/https://www.scriptamaneant.com/sm/negozio/the-sistine-chapel-3-volumes/?lang=en|url-status=live}}
* {{cite journal|title=Vested Interest: Redressing Jews on Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling |first1=Barbara |last1=Wisch |journal=Artibus et Historiae |volume=24 |number=48 |year=2003 |page=143-172 |publisher=IRSA|jstor=1483735}}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{Citation |last=Ettlinger |first=Leopold |title=The Sistine Chapel before Michelangelo: Religious Imagery and Papal Primacy |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |year=1965 |oclc=230168041}}
* {{Citation |last=King |first=Ross |title=Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling |publisher=Penguin Books |location=New York |year=2003 |isbn=0-14-200369-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/michelangelopope00king }}
* {{Citation |last=Lewine |first=Carol |title=The Sistine Chapel Walls and the Roman Liturgy |publisher=[[Pennsylvania State University Press]] |location=University Park |year=1993 |isbn=0-271-00792-3}}
* {{citation |editor-last=Pietrangeli |editor-first=Carlo |first1=Michael |last1=Hirst |last2=Colalucci |first2=Gianluigi |last3=Mancinelli |first3=Fabrizio |display-authors=8 |last4=Shearman |first4=John |last5=Winner |first5=Matthias |last6=Maeder |first6=Edward |last7=De Vecchi |first7=Pierluigi |last8=Nazzareno |first8=Gabrielli |last9=Piernicola |first9=Pagliara |title=The Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration |publisher=H.N. Abrams |others=Takashi Okamura (photographer) |location=New York |year=1994 |isbn=0-8109-3840-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780810938403 }}
* {{Citation |last=Pfeiffer |first=Heinrich |title=Die Sixtinische Kapelle neu entdeckt |publisher=Belser |location=Stuttgart |isbn=978-0-8109-3840-3 |language=de |year=2007 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780810938403 }}
* {{Citation |last=Stone |first=Irving |title=The Agony and the Ecstasy |publisher=Nal Trade |location=London |year=2004 |isbn=0-451-21323-8 |author-link=Irving Stone}}. Previously publish by Doubleday in 1961; a novel.
* {{Citation |last1=Blech |first1=Benjamin |last2=Doliner |first2=Roy |title=The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican |publisher=HarperOne |location=New York |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-06-146904-6 |author-link=Benjamin Blech |url=https://archive.org/details/sistinesecretsmi00blec }}
* {{cite book |title=''The Vatican: spirit and art of Christian Rome'' |location=New York |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=1982 |isbn=0-87099-348-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/vaticanspirit00metr }}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Main.html Vatican Museums Online: Sistine Chapel] A virtual detailed tour of the frescoes and panels
* [https://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html High-resolution interactive virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140201215301/http://www.cyberculturegallery.com/panoramic-view-of-sistine-chapel-in-html5/ Zoomable Panoramic View of the Sistine Chapel (HTML5)]
* [http://issuu.com/akenpapers/docs/devilish_chapel__eng_ The Devilish Chapel of Michelangelo]
* [http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/tours/sistina/ Web Gallery of Art: Visit to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/560315.stm BBC News: Sistine Chapel Restored (1999)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050425004311/http://www.arches.uga.edu/~msopal29/ The Restoration of the Sistine Chapel: Right or Wrong?]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19970124121504/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/sistine/0-Tour.html www.christusrex.org Capella Sistina] Master Plan & Pictures

{{Sistine Chapel}}
{{Papal symbols and ceremonial}}
{{Vatican City topics}}
{{Rome museums}}
{{Rome landmarks}}
{{Michelangelo}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sistine Chapel| ]]
[[Category:Sites of papal elections]]
[[Category:Individual rooms]]
[[Category:Replicas of Solomon's Temple]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures completed in 1508]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Vatican City]]