After the death of Pope Francis, the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will meet next month to elect a new pontiff in one of the world’s most famous buildings: the Sistine Chapel.
The chapel was named after Pope Sisto IV and was built between 1473 and 1481.
The structure is 40 meters long, 13 meters wide and 21 meters high, is illuminated on all sides by high windows.
The famous artist Michelangelo was hired by Julius II to make the paintings of the ceiling, called frescoes, completed between 1508 and 1512.
The paintings show scenes of the old and the New Testament of the Bible, being the most famous “The Creation of Adam,” in which God extends his finger to touch the hand of the first man.
More than 20 years later, Michelangelo was hired to paint the imposing “final judgment” on the wall behind the altar, inaugurated in 1541.
Michelangelo was immediately accused of immorality and obscenity for representing naked figures in a church.
After the painter’s death, a law was passed that forced the coverage of the offensive genitals with “shame pants”, added by an apprentice.
The side walls are decorated by other artists, including Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio.
The German writer Goethe once commented, “Without seeing the Sistine Chapel, one cannot have an appreciable idea of what a man is able to accomplish.”
Some facts about the place
The Sistine Chapel was first used for a Conclave in 1484 after the death of Sisto IV.
Several conclaves were held elsewhere, including several in the nineteenth century in the Quirinal Palace, former Summer Palace of the Popes and now the official residence of the Italian president.
About 6.8 million people visited Vatican museums, including the Sistine Chapel in 2023 – the world’s second most visited museum after the Louvre, according to the Statist.com data site.
This content was originally published in Conclave: Meet the Sistine Chapel, where there will be the election of the next Pope on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
