There Sistine Chapelin the Vatican Museums, was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV – from which it takes its name – e Decorated by Michelangelo On behalf of Julius II. Famous for the vault and the Universal judgmenthosts Conclavi and Papal Ceremonies. Today that the Vatican therefore prepares for conclaveafter the funeral of Pope Francisheld on April 26th, From 7 May 2025 the College of Cardinals will meet in the complex of San Pietro, and more precisely in the Sistine Chapel, To choose the new figure among the participants with a series of secret votes (guaranteed by the anti -institution devices).
The history of the Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel, which is located inside the Vatican Museums, is One of the most famous masterpieces of Italian Renaissance art. Dedicated to Maria Assunta in Heaven, it is the main chapel of the Apostolic Palace. Owes its name to Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere (on the seat from 1471 to 1484) which made the ancient Magna chapel renovate between 1477 and 1480. The fifteenth -century decoration of the walls includes, in addition to the fake curtains, the Stories of Moses and Christ and the portraits of the Pontiffs.
On August 15, 1483 Sisto IV consecrated the new chapel dedicating it to the assumption. Julius II of the oak (Pope from 1503 to 1513), who was the nephew of Sixtus IV, then decided to partially change its decoration, entrusting In 1508 the assignment a Michelangelo Buonarrotiwho painted the vault, the universal judgment and, on the upper part of the walls, the lunettes. In October 1512 the work was done and the day of All Saints (the first of November) Julius II inaugurated Sistine with a solemn mass. Here are not only the conclaves, but also Other official ceremonies of the Pope (all events that, of course, lead to its closure to the public).
The decorations and the vault of the chapel frescoed by Michelangelo
The interior decorations of the Sistine Chapel began in 1481 and lasted until the following year, with frescoes made first by Perugian and therefore by some of the most disputed artists then active in the Renaissance Florence: they are Domenico Ghirlandaio, Sandro Botticelli And Cosimo Rosselli (who worked, as well as with their shops, together with other artists already present in Rome including Pinturicchio, Bartolomeo della Gatta and Piero di Cosimo). In the nine central panels the stories of genesis are depicted, from the creation to the fall of man, to the flood and the subsequent rebirth of humanity with Noah’s family.
There vault of the Sistine Chapel He is one of the absolute and most important masterpieces of western art, and was frescoed Almost entirely and in record time by the Aretine artist Michelangelo Buonarroti. 40 meters long and 13 wide, the turn of the Sistine Chapel is divided into panels: the main ones, that is, those positioned in the center, depict scenes of the book of Genesis, of creation (with the famous scene of God and Adam who touch the indices) and the Falling of manimmediately after the flood. On both sides, next to each of these scenes, there are the great portraits of Prophets and Sibille who had foreseen the coming of the Messiah. The lunettes are depicted the ancestors of Jesus and the stories of the tragedy of the Jewish people.
The work was difficult for Michelangelo: in the meantime why It was very young and had never painted frescoes beforenot to mention the fact that the surface in question was curve And the perspective required more attention than normal. Despite the now widespread story, the artist would have painted the vault lying on the back, it seems that he actually exploited the scaffolding To paint as usual.
Initially Michelangelo should have made only the figures of the 12 apostles, but at the end of the works they could count More than 300 figures. The work was mastodontic, which is why He made himself help from many assistants To mix the paints and bring them up and down from the scaffolding (but it is thought that the most gifted has also left to fresco skies or small figures). However, Michelangelo did not make only the vault, but also the background wall of the chapelon which the grandiose stands out Universal judgmentpainted between 1535 and 1541.
The censorship of Michelangelo’s nudes and the removal of the roofs
The men and women that Michelangelo portrayed they were completely naked: It is not a random choice, given that according to the Gospels the main message that is revealed during the judgment is precisely focused on the resurrection of the flesh of the elect. This nudity, however,, made a scandal in the Vatican, and the indignation grew during the sixteenth century: In 1564the year in which the artist died, came The censorship law for its frescoes was approved and the artist Daniele da Volterra (then ironically nicknamed the “bragone”) was commissioned to cover the nudity with some clothing.
Between 1990 and 1994during the complex and controversial cleaning of Michelangelo’s universal judgment (now blackened and almost illegible), the restorers found themselves facing a great dilemma: leave the complaints or notin turn witnesses of the story? Finally, it was decided to leave some traces of the censorship as testimony to the reception of the fresco at the time and visual documentation of the dominant mentality of the second half of the 16th century, while recovering the original aspect of the fresco as much as possibleespecially regarding the yield of the color, today very bright. To find the remains of this censorship on the large wall, just look at San Pietro, San Bartolomeo or Santa Caterina di Alessandria.
The Sistine Chapel during the Conclave
In these days, and for a week in total, the Sistine Chapel is involved in the Preparation of the conclave which for the occasion are particularly complex, because it will participate in the assembly An unusually high number of cardinals, 130and we will have to find a seat in safety to everyone.
In addition to dismantling all electronic instruments (and therefore the cameras that measure tourist flows, the sensors of humidity and those of the alarm), in the room it must be mounted A metal platform, so as to “raise” the 70 centimeters floor and level the Sistine Getting the height of the steps of the altar. This structure – which is symbolic and aims not to create differences in location between the cardinals – uses a system of “innocent” tubes, that is, galvanized metal pipes Used for the construction of building scaffolding, on which the metal platform is then mounted.
During the preparations they are also arranged The two famous stoves: one is the “ancient” one, which will serve to burn the electoral cards; While the other is the modern one, to be used to give the signal outside using a black or white smoke bomb (which lasts 6 and a half minutes): black if other votes are needed, white if a candidate has been chosen.
