The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City, and it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV. The chapel is famous for its architecture and frescoes painted by artists throughout the Renaissance. Some of these artists include Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, and Pinturicchio. Two of the chapel's features, the ceiling and The Last Judgement, are believed to be Michelangelo's most accomplished works of art. The chapel has served as a place of religious and functionary papal activity, and today, it is the site of the Papal Conclave, the process by which a new Pope is selected.

The most famous works of art in the chapel are the ceiling, The Last Judgement, and Raphael's Tapestries. The ceiling took Michelangelo 4 years to paint, all of which he did lying on his back. The lowest part of the ceiling depicts the ancestors of Christ. Above this are painted male and female prophets, with Jonah over the alter. The highest section of the ceiling consists of the nine stories from the book of Genesis.

The Last Judgement took Michelangelo 5 years to paint (1535-1541). It is a depiction of the second coming of Christ and the Apocalypse, and it resides on the rear wall over the alter.

Raphael's Tapestries are used during ceremonies of particular importance. The side walls are covered with these tapestries depicting events from the life of St. Peter and St. Paul as described in the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles. The lower parts of the tapestries show episodes from Leo X's life. Ten tapestries still exist today.

The southern wall of the Sistine Chapel is decorated with the Stories of Moses, the northern wall with stories of Jesus, and the Eastern wall with the resurrection of Christ and the disputation over Moses' body.

Pictures and other helpful information can be found at http://www.artbible.info/art/sistine-chapel.html