VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Following the death of Pope Francis, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will gather at some point next month to elect a new pope in one of the most famous buildings in the world, the Sistine Chapel. Below are some facts about the chapel:
* Named after Pope Sixtus IV and built from 1473-81, it is 40 metres (131 feet) long, 13 metres (43 feet) wide and 21 metres (69 feet) high, lit on either side by high windows.
* Michelangelo was commissioned by Julius II to paint the ceiling frescoes, completed between 1508 and 1512. The frescoes show scenes from the Bible’s Old and New Testaments, most famously “The Creation of Adam” in which God reaches with his finger to touch the outstretched hand of the first man.
* More than 20 years later, Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the awe-inspiring “Last Judgement” on the wall behind the altar, which was unveiled in 1541.
* Michelangelo was immediately accused of immorality and obscenity for depicting naked figures in a church. After his death, a law was passed to cover up the offending genitalia with “modesty breeches”, which were added by an apprentice.
* The side walls are decorated by other artists, including Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio.
* From 1980 to 1994 specialists conducted one of the most ambitious art restoration projects in the world, stripping away centuries of accumulated dirt and soot that had darkened the frescoes. The results divided experts and amateurs, with some criticising the dazzling colours as too bright.
* The Sistine Chapel was first used for a conclave after the death of Sixtus IV in 1484. A number of conclaves have been held elsewhere, including several in the 19th century at the Quirinale Palace, formerly a summer palace for the popes and now the official residence of the Italian president.
* Some 6.8 million people visited the Vatican Museum, which includes the Sistine Chapel, in 2023 – the second most visited museum in the world after the Louvre, according to data site Statista.com.
* German writer Goethe once remarked: “Without having seen the Sistine Chapel, one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving”.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Frances Kerry and Kate Mayberry)
