Sistine Chapel - Rome - page 366

Sistine Chapel
The jewel in the Vatican crown, the Sistine Chapel ( Cappella Sistina) is home to two
of the world's most famous works of art - Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes and his Gi-
udizio Universale (Last Judgment).
History
The chapel was originally built for Pope Sixtus IV, after whom it is named, and con-
secrated on 15 August 1483. It's a big, barn-like structure, measuring 40.2m long,
13.4m wide and 20.7m high - the same size as the Temple of Solomon - and even
pre-Michelangelo it would have been impressive. Its walls had frescoes painted by a
crack team of Renaissance artists, including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pinturicchio, Per-
ugino and Luca Signorelli, the vaulted ceiling was coloured to resemble a blue sky
with golden stars, and the floor had an inlaid polychrome marble pattern.
However, apart from the wall frescoes and floor, little remains of the original decor,
which was sacrificed to make way for Michelangelo's two masterpieces. The first, the
ceiling, was commissioned by Pope Julius II and painted between 1508 and 1512; the
second, the spectacular Giudizio Universale , was completed almost 30 years later in
1541.
Both were controversial works influenced by the political ambitions of the popes
who commissioned them. The ceiling came as part of Julius II's drive to transform
Rome into the Church's showcase capital, while Pope Paul III intended the Giudizio
Universale to serve as a warning to Catholics to toe the line during the Reformation,
which was then sweeping through Europe.
In recent years debate has centred on the chapel's multi-million dollar restoration,
which finished in 1999 after nearly 20 years. In removing almost 450 years' worth of
dust and candle soot, restorers finally revealed the frescoes in their original technicol-
our glory. But some critics claimed that they also removed a layer of varnish that
Michelangelo had added to darken them and enhance their shadows. Whatever the
truth, the Sistine Chapel remains a truly spectacular sight.