There is no question that the fame of the Sistine Chapel lies in the amazing masterpiece that Michelangelo painted on the 10,000 foot ceiling of the church in 1508 under the commission of Pope Julius II. Few pay attention to the fact that the chapel was actually named after Pope Sixtus IV who commissioned the building to be constructed.



But there is a lot to learn about this beautiful building that you can enjoy during your visit to Rome and Vatican City. For example, the chapel is not far from the Vatican Museum, which is an attraction entirely worth taking a day or more to see what it has to offer. Also the famous St. Peter's Basilica is walking distance from the Sistine Chapel, and there you can enjoy another magnificent Michelangelo creation "The Pieta," and you can also admire the dome of the Basilica, which is a masterpiece of architecture in and of itself.

The actual Sistine Chapel is relatively small by Roman building standards, at 135 feet wide by 44 feet tall. But inside of this small chapel is some of the greatest art of the western world. Art that any museum in the world would be thrilled to have. A huge restoration project done on the chapel between 1979 and 1999 assured that this treasure would be here for us to enjoy for decades to come.

The list of famous and should-be famous artists that contributed to the Sistine Chapel is impressive. Botticelli has a number of classic works in the chapel, including his 1482 creations, "Life of Moses" as well as "The Punishment of Korah". Not far from these stunning art pieces are works by Rosselli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino and other great artists from this time frame in history.

But it is that magnificent ceiling that most people associate with the Sistine Chapel. Before Michelangelo began his work there, what passed for art on that ceiling was a simple pattern of painted stars. Michelangelo invested four difficult years of tedious work to transform that ceiling into a magnificent nine-panel masterpiece we know it for today.

Michelangelo used as subjects for his painting many stories and characters from the Old Testament of the Hebrew and Christian Bible. The panels seem to burst with life with pictures of Sibyls, the prophets, various nude males and Noah. But there is no question that the image that is the most moving is that of Jehovah himself, reaching to mankind in the form of Adam to give life to his creation through the touch of a finger.

Rome has been prudent in caring for this masterpiece, most recently having it cleaned and restored in the 1990s. That restoration revealed the striking colors that the artist - who is considered the finest ever in art history - used to illustrate his master work. The author Goethe spoke well of the Sistine Chapel when he wrote:

"Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving."

To accomplish this amazing task of painting the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo had to design a new kind of scaffold to accommodate his needs. The paint nearly blinded him as he labored tirelessly on the project. And he had to use his impressive abilities to devise new innovations to get the job done, including a new kind of plaster which became known as intonaco. This new plaster resists mold and holds paint in place well which was crucial to the success of the Sistine Chapel. Intonaco is a plaster that is still very useful in modern building projects.

By 1512, the majority of the work on the painting was done. But to Michelangelo it was not complete until he came back 20 years later to add The Last Judgment. This part of the artwork took him from 1525 until 1541 to complete. Not only would your trip to the Sistine chapel be lacking if you didn't spend time admiring this part of Michelangelo's master work, but The Last Judgment is impossible not to notice as it fills the back wall of the chapel completely.

You will find The Last Judgment mesmerizing and full of interesting scenes, including a self portrait that shows St. Bartholomew having his skin flayed. Michelangelo's images are so striking and challenging that they drew criticism from the powers that be at the time because he so frequently included nude figures in his work. It says something that Michelangelo won out in these disputes but it is tragic that later those art works were marred by censors who painted over the genitals of the nudes.

For art lovers and those not well versed in art appreciation, seeing the Sistine Chapel is a moving experience. For sheer concentration of masterpieces and to see art that is on display in no other setting, the Sistine Chapel is a must for your next visit to Rome.