ROME (DPA): The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican owes its name to Pope Sixtus IV (1471-84), who commissioned it.
The three-storey brick building was created to serve as a space for meetings of the papal court. It was inaugurated in 1483.
It has been used as the venue for the conclave where the cardinals elect new popes since 1870.
However, the chapel is most famous for the impressive Renaissance frescoes that adorn its walls and ceiling.
Painters, including Sandro Botticelli, Cosimo Rosselli and Pietro Perugino, initially decorated the walls with scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
Michelangelo Buonarroti, one of the most important Renaissance artists, later created the world-famous ceiling painting between 1508 and 1512.
Covering more than 500 square meters, his works show some of the most important scenes from the Bible, including the story of Creation and the moment in which God gives life to Adam, the first man. The image of God’s outstretched finger breathing life into Adam is one of the most famous motifs in the history of art.
Michelangelo also painted his monumental fresco “The Last Judgement” on the wall behind the altar between 1534 and 1541.
Restoration work was carried out between 1980 and 1994, and the ceiling frescoes were cleaned of candle soot so the colours now shine with their original intensity.
Restoring “The Last Judgement” alone took four years.
The Sistine Chapel, as one of the Vatican Museums, draws more than 7 million visitors every year.
