Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is a sacred papal chapel on the first floor of the Apostolic Palace and one of the most important surviving ensembles of Renaissance religious art. It takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had the older Cappella Magna restored between 1477 and 1480. A major decorative campaign followed in 1481–1482, with scenes from the lives of Moses and Christ painted by a team that included Perugino, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Rosselli.

On 15 August 1483 Sixtus IV consecrated the chapel and dedicated it to Our Lady of the Assumption. Pope Julius II later commissioned Michelangelo to repaint the ceiling; the work was carried out from 1508 to 1512. Michelangelo returned to the chapel for the Last Judgement, painted on the altar wall between 1536 and 1541.

The chapel continues to have an institutional religious role: the conclave for the election of a pope is held here, and it remains a papal sacred space rather than only a museum interior. Ordinary visitors reach it through the Vatican Museums. Silence is required, photography and filming are prohibited inside the chapel, and the Museums’ dress code applies. The chapel lies within the Vatican City UNESCO World Heritage property.