VATICAN CITY Tourist Information
Cappella Sistina
Built between 1475 and 1483, in the time of Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere, the Sistine Chapel has originally served as Palatine Chapel. The chapel is rectangular in shape and measures 40.93 meters long by 13.41 meters wide, i.e. the exact dimensions of the Temple of Solomon, as given in the Old Testament. It is 20.70 meters high and is roofed by a flattened barrel vault, with little side vaults over the centered windows. The architectural plans were made by Baccio Pontelli and the construction work was supervised by Giovannino de' Dolci. The wall paintings were executed by Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli, Luca Signorelli and their respective workshops, which included Pinturicchio, Piero di Cosimo and Bartolomeo della Gatta.
Michelangelo Buonarroti was commissioned by Pope Julius II della Rovere in 1508 to repaint the ceiling; the work was completed between 1508 and 1512.
He painted the Last Judgement over the altar, between 1535 and 1541, being commissioned by Pope Paul III Farnese.
We include a master plan of the Chapel which helps locate each painting by assigning an alphanumeric code.
O through M - Scenes from the Life of Christ - 15 Images
L through I - Scenes from the Life of Christ - 15 Images
O through I - Popes on the intermediate zone of the Life of Christ wall - 12 Images
A through D - Scenes from the Life of Moses - 18 Images
E through F - Scenes from the Life of Moses - 14 Images
A through F - Popes on the intermediate zone of the Life of Moses wall - 12 Images
Michelangelo's Ceiling (1508 - 1512) : Overview - 18 Images
1 through 3 - Scenes from Genesis at the top of the ceiling - 14 Images
4 through 5 - Scenes from Genesis - 14 Images
6 - Scenes from Genesis : Expulsion from Paradise - 9 Images
7 through 9 - Scenes from Genesis : Noah - 12 Images
10 through 13 - Scenes from the Old Testament - 9 Images
14 through 17 - Prophets and Sibyls around the edges of the ceiling - 14 Images
18 through 21 - Prophets and Sibyls around the edges of the ceiling - 16 Images
22 through 25 - Prophets and Sibyls around the edges of the ceiling - 15 Images
26 through 32 - Ancestors of Christ in spandrels and lunettes - 18 Images
33 through 39 - Ancestors of Christ in spandrels and lunettes - 19 Images
40 - Michelangelo's Last Judgement on the altar wall - 19 Images
40 - Last Judgement : Celestial World - 26 Images
40 - Last Judgement : Resurrection of the Dead - 17 Images
Decorative Elements - 17 Images
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