The Sistine Chapel. Sistine Chapel in the Vatican: description, history, architectural features

The Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) from the outside is an unremarkable church building of the 15th century on the territory of the modern. But, the walls, lined with sand-colored stone, contain true pearls of the Renaissance- works (Michelangelo Buonarroti), (Sandro Botticelli), Perugino (Perugino), Pinturicchio (Pinturicchio), Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Ghirlandaio).

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The Sistine Chapel was built in 1475-1481 by order of the Pontiff Sixtus IV (Sisto IV) in honor of Mary's assumption in heaven.

The place for the construction of the church was not chosen by chance. Previously, this place in Rome was the Great Chapel (Cappella Maggiore), which hosted the highest conclaves of the Catholic clergy. The grand reconstruction of the outdated chapel was entrusted to architect Baccio Pontelli and engineer Giovannino de Dolci.

The construction manager decided to keep the foundation and part of the lower tier of the former building. During construction, the church received 3 floors, 2 of them were intended for the needs of the church, and the upper one was a gallery for guarding soldiers. The chapel itself is also an example of fortification architecture: a rectangular building 20.7 m high, 40.9 m long, 13.4 m wide. Strong walls and lack of frills were dictated by the turbulent situation in the fragmented Italy of the Middle Ages.

murals

Dear reader, to find an answer to any question about holidays in Italy, use. I answer all questions in the comments under the relevant articles at least once a day. Your guide in Italy Artur Yakutsevich.

The Sistine Chapel is famous all over the world for the frescoes that adorned its vault and walls in the 15th and 16th centuries. The general plan for the painting of the church was developed during the construction work. The building was divided into three horizontal tiers and was to be decorated from the bottom up. The lower tier had simple decorative paintings, the second tier was devoted to the events of the Old Testament and scenes from the life of Christ reflected in the New Testament. The uppermost tier was supposed to depict the pontiffs who were martyred.

Florentines

The work on decorating the Sistine Chapel was initiated by Perugino, a master of the Umbrian school of painting. He painted two pictures from the life of Christ and one from the Old Testament. By 1480, the tense political relationship between Pope Sixtus IV and the head of the Florentine Signoria (Lorenzo de' Medici) had somewhat warmed up.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Medici sends the masters of the Florentine school: Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli (Cosimo Rosselli), and the pontiff graciously allows them to settle in Rome and begin work in the Sistine Chapel.

The Florentines, with the support of Pinturicchio and Bartolomeo della Gatta, painted the walls of the new church. The plots of 10 frescoes were developed and approved down to the smallest detail by Sixtus IV himself. Particular attention was paid to ensure that the compositions from the Old and New Testaments harmoniously complement each other. The artist managed to enhance the impression of the iconographic paintings Piermateo d'Amelia (Piermatteo d'Amelia), who depicted on the vault of the temple in the starry sky.

Ceiling

Sixtus IV's successor, his nephew Julius II (Ulius II), never for a moment forgot what the Sistine Chapel means to the Catholic Church.

Contribution of Michelangelo Buonarroti

In 1508, the pontiff invited Michelangelo Buonarroti to restore existing paintings and apply new ones. As many as 4 years (from 1508 to 1512) it took the famous master to decorate the vault.

It is noteworthy that Michelangelo at that time was considered an unsurpassed architect, while frescoes were new to him.

Contemporaries of the sculptor see in what happened the intrigues of Buonarroti's competitor - Donato Bramante. Bramante had in mind his own candidate for creating a fresco - (Raffaello Santi).

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was a real challenge for Michelangelo.

In addition to mastering the new artistic technique, the master had to solve organizational issues. How, for example, to install scaffolding to the very ceiling and at the same time not interfere with the conduct of church rites? "Flying forests", designed by the artist, were attached to the walls of the church on special pins. At the same time, the artist and his apprentices were at the required height, and the clergy received freedom of movement.

There are various conjectures regarding the work of Buonarroti under the vault of the chapel. Some sources say that the master worked lying down, while paint and plaster showered abundantly on his face. In fact, Michelangelo worked standing up, having room to maneuver. However, the hard work under the ceiling of the chapel was detrimental to the health of the 33-year-old artist.

To top it all off, wet layers of plaster, on which work was carried out with paints, began to intensively become covered with fungus. The master and his assistants managed to develop a new formula for "intonaco" - a composition for impregnating plaster, which was resistant to humid Roman air.

Despite all the vicissitudes of fate, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was decorated with frescoes, combined into a single iconographic cycle. Michelangelo painted paintings illustrating nine scenes from the Book of Genesis. In the miniatures of the vault, you can see the "Separation of Light from Darkness", "Noah's Sacrifice", "Creation of Adam", "Fall", "Expulsion from Paradise".

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel has three distinct semantic chains: the creation of the World, Adam and Eve, the hardships of humanity deprived of Paradise.

Having examined each picture separately, one can trace the transformation of Buonarroti's painting. Due to the high ceiling height, the artist abandoned small details and elaborate curls in favor of more concise and clear lines.

The plot of each fresco is laconic and capacious; the miniatures are enclosed in decorative frames made of travertine. The huge area of ​​the ceiling could cause a depressing impression, “put pressure” on the parishioners, if it were not for the little tricks of the master, who artificially divided the huge ceiling into 47 parts. Small paintings and geometric frames create unprecedented depth and detail in the frescoes.

Pope Julius II urged Michelangelo on in every possible way, in a hurry to amaze the public with a masterpiece curiosity. The final frescoes were painted in a short time, but the skill of the artist made it possible to preserve the deep impression made by the ceiling of the church. The pontiff also complained that the ceiling looked poor, due to the lack of gilding and azure. The master replied that the saints themselves were not rich people.

The Last Judgment (Giudizio universale)

A quarter of a century later, the Sistine Chapel will again be at the disposal of Michelangelo. This time, an even more dramatic masterpiece will be created - a wall fresco depicting the Last Judgment.

Pope Clement VII called Buonarroti to Rome in 1533 and discussed the details of the design of the altar wall in the main chapel of the Vatican. The death of the pontiff delayed the start of work for 4 years. In 1536, Paul III (Paolo III) approved the plans of his predecessor for the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo set to work.

The large-scale picture conceived by the pontiffs required difficult decisions. First, the earlier frescoes painted on the wall behind the temple altar were sacrificed to the new creation. Secondly, a 40-cm brick visor was laid out above the upper border of the picture, which would prevent dust from settling on the wall surface.

Having prepared sketches and purchased paints of the required quality, Michelangelo began work in the middle of 1536. It took the artist four years to create a complete picture, during which time Buonarroti allowed only one of his assistants to brush and paint, and then to create a heavenly background. All characters were written out exclusively by the hand of the master.

During the restoration of the Sistine Chapel, art historians discovered that the whole fresco is divided into fragments (squares made in one day), the number of which was 450 pieces!

The public saw the completed altar fresco "The Last Judgment" at the end of October 1541. There are records that Pope Paul III was so amazed by the picture depicted on the wall of the chapel that he fell on his knees and indulged in fervent prayer. And there were good reasons for that! Heavenly angels hovering in the clouds looked at the visitors from the wall of the chapel, in the center of the picture Jesus and the Virgin Mary were dramatically depicted, surrounded by the blessed. The lower tier is a picture of the End Times: the messengers of the Apocalypse trumpet the Last Judgment, the sinners descend into hell, and the righteous ascend to heaven.

This work of 60-year-old Michelangelo was so brilliant that it excited the minds and hearts of everyone and everything.

Along with boundless admiration, she also generated discontent. Thus, Cardinal Carafa and the master of ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena, expressed extreme indignation at the nakedness of biblical figures. Paul III and Buonarroti ironically and steadfastly parried their opponents.

However, after 24 years, censorship still got to the "indecent" fresco and threw the covers over the saints and martyrs. Daniele da Volterra (Daniele da Volterra) led the fresco in a decent form, for which he received the nickname "Pantsographer". Being a student and admirer of Michelangelo, the artist tried to minimize his interference.

The plafond of the Sistine Chapel, as well as the wall frescoes, are the subject of the undoubted pride of the Vatican, as well as a masterpiece of fine art. The pontificate takes care of the safety of its property. So, the last restoration of the murals of the chapel took no less than 14 years, from 1980 to 1994!

Modern life

To this day, the Sistine Chapel is still used for conclaves where the pontiffs of the Vatican are elected. The rest of the time, the chapel is visited by pilgrims and tourists.

male choir

In addition, the Sistine Chapel has a male choir known as the "Pontifical Chapel" (Capella Papale).

The choir has a high status among Catholic singing groups. You can listen to the a cappella performance of the high choir on major church holidays. The first composition of the papal chapel was organized under Sixtus IV. Since then, getting into the Sistine Choir was a matter of great honor, and brought great prosperity. Since the 19th century, the full name of the band has been Cappella musicale pontificia sistina.

Interesting facts and yns

Interesting facts and secrets concerning the Sistine Chapel and the personality of its author are woven into a fascinating story. After 5 centuries, one can only guess which of the current legends is true, and which is a complete fiction. In 2006, Konstantin Efetov published the book "The Shocking Mystery of the Sistine Chapel", in which he tried to disassemble the most fascinating mysteries of the temple. The book went through several successful reprints and received a sequel.

The focus of the study is Buonarroti, who agreed to leave the ranks of the architects in order to master the skills of working with frescoes from scratch. The author wonders why the medieval master was so reluctant to involve assistants, preferring to work alone. The idea was also voiced that the young Michelangelo was secretly studying anatomy and the internal structure of a person, in particular, he studied the structure of the brain well.

The artist did not fail to hint about this in the ceiling fresco "The Creation of Adam". The Creator, surrounded by angels, is depicted in a scarlet fabric edging, in its shape surprisingly reminiscent of the human brain. The position of the creator's hands, as well as the faces of the angels, repeat the main parts of the brain. Thus, Buonarroti declares that man was created not just by an abstract holy spirit, but is a product of a higher mind.

One of the fierce critics of the work of Michelangelo Biaggio da Cesena was immortalized in the fresco "The Last Judgment". The artist, who almost completely painted the altar wall of the chapel, in response to the predilection for excessive nudity of the characters, portrayed the champion of morality in the grotesque image of Minos, the king of the dungeons.

Unlike the shameless righteous, Minos is depicted with a snake wrapped around his hips, which absorbs his manhood.

Another interesting fact is that the master valued the beauty of nudity above all else and preferred the male body. In all frescoes, female characters are depicted with pronounced athletic figures.

Where is it, how to get there, tickets, opening hours

The address: Viale Vaticano, Cappella Sistina

• on the line A to Ottaviano station
• by tram No. 19, station Piazza del Risorgimento;
• by bus No. 49, entrance to the Vatican Museum next to the bus stop; No. 32, 81, 982, Piazza del Risorgimento station; No. 492, 990, Via Leone IV / Via degli Scipion station;
• you can stop at a paid parking lot near museums;
• on the Taxi you can drive to Viale Vaticano, the entrance to the museum will be opposite.

Working hours: from Monday to Saturday, from 9:00 to 18:00, you can buy a ticket from 9:00 to 16:00.

Individual excursions: only possible with . We sincerely recommend.

Tickets: The Sistine Chapel is available with a single ticket to the Vatican Museums. A full ticket costs 16 euros, a reduced ticket costs 8 euros. To bypass the kilometer-long line to the ticket office, you can purchase a ticket on the Vatican ticket office website at , paying an additional 4 euros for pre-ordering.

Features of the visit: Photo and video filming is prohibited!

Sistine Chapel (Italy) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is one of the most famous and popular monuments of culture and history among tourists from all over the world. The building was built in the second half of the 15th century by order of Pope Sixtus IV. In honor of the pope, the chapel got its name. The construction of the building was carried out under the guidance of the architect George de Dolci.

Externally, the building, hand on heart, looks rather modest, however, once inside the building, you can be speechless from the beauty that surrounds you.

The Sistine Chapel is popular, first of all, thanks to the most beautiful and breathtaking wall paintings. Such famous masters as Sandro Botticelli, Pinturicchio and Michelangelo worked on the "decoration". The last of these masters created the legendary fresco "The Last Judgment" by order of Pope Paul III. This painting is amazing!

It is here that from the end of the 15th century to the present, Conclaves have been held - a meeting of Catholic cardinals who, after the death of the current pope, elect a new pontiff. White smoke over the Sistine Chapel announces that the Catholic world has received a new pope.

A ticket to the Vatican Museums costs 17 EUR. By paying 4 EUR, they can be purchased via the Internet, which will allow you to avoid queues.

Prices on the page are for September 2018.

The Sistine Chapel

A chapel is a small church intended for members of the same family, residents of the same castle or palace. In Russian, the word "chapel" is sometimes translated as "chapel", but this is not entirely true. There is no altar in the chapels; some church sacraments cannot be held there. Whereas the chapel is a full-fledged church with the whole set of attributes. The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is the most famous building of this type.

History of creation

The Sistine Chapel was built between 1475 and 1483 by order of Pope Sixtus IV, whose name it bears to this day. was a controversial figure. On the one hand, during his reign, corruption and bribery flourished, it was under him that the Inquisition was introduced, and the first public

On the other hand, he became famous for encouraging the development of science and art. He transferred the papal residence to the Vatican and did much to restore and improve Rome. On his initiative, a library and the world's first public museum were opened, and the Sistine Chapel was built to host the most significant ceremonies of the Catholic Church. In this place and now a conclave of clergy gathers to

architectural solution

In the 15th century, the powers between the religious and secular governments were not completely separated, and armed clashes periodically occurred. Yes, and ordinary parishioners, driven to the extreme by exorbitantly high taxes, sometimes decided to openly express their anger. In this regard, the Popes wanted to have a special refuge in the Vatican, where they could take refuge with their court in turbulent and troubled times.

At the request of Sixtus IV, the Sistine Chapel became such a refuge. from the outside it was supposed to look like a fortress, and to emphasize the greatness and power of papal power with the interior decor.

To solve these problems, a young architect from Florence, Giovanni de Dolci, was invited. He built a building resembling a bastion in appearance, and supervised the interior painting work.

The Sistine Chapel is a relatively small building (its area is only 520 m²), rectangular in shape, with a high (21 m high) vaulted ceiling. Its proportions, as conceived by Sixtus IV, resemble those of the legendary Temple of Solomon, the first temple in Jerusalem.

Interior decoration

In 1480, Sixtus IV invited the most famous painters of that time to create murals. The work was attended by Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlondaio, Luca Signorelli, and the young Pinturicchio.

It took the artists two years to paint the walls of the chapel. The middle tier was occupied by images of scenes from the life of Moses and Jesus Christ. In the upper tier, in the piers between the windows, were placed portraits of the first popes, from St. Peter to Marcellus I. Traditionally, the lower tier was left for hanging the pontiff's regalia.

Above the altar was a fresco by Perugino of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The ceiling was adorned with a star-studded sky. These elements are known to us only in descriptions, because a few decades after the opening of the chapel, they were replaced by frescoes by Michelangelo.

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo

At the beginning of the 16th century, a crack appeared on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, running along its entire length. Pope Julius II ordered to cover it up and ordered Michelangelo, who was working at that very time on statues for the future tomb of the pontiff, to cover the ceiling with frescoes.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, who was born in the year of laying the Sistine Chapel (1475), in 1508 was already a fairly well-known sculptor. But it was something unfamiliar to him. He tried in every possible way to evade this work, but Julius II managed to insist on his own. So, the famous Sistine Chapel got its finished look. Description, the history of the creation of frescoes have become the subject of research for many generations of art historians.

The central part of the plafond is occupied by 9 consecutive plots of the Old Testament, among them the "Flood", "Fall", scenes of the creation of the first people (Adam and Eve) and others. Along the perimeter of these frescoes, the author depicted the prophets and sibyls, and on the side parts of the arch - the predecessors of Jesus Christ. In total, more than 300 characters were depicted, which still conquer with their power and physical beauty.

Researchers still cannot come to an unambiguous interpretation of these images. Some see them as a special interpretation of the Bible, others as a new understanding of the heroes of Dante's Divine Comedy, others are convinced that Michelangelo presented the stages of man's ascent from a sinful primitive state to the stage of tatanism and divine perfection.

Fresco "The Last Judgment"

22 years later, Michelangelo was again invited to work on the design of the Sistine Chapel. In 1534, Pope Clement VII ordered him to paint the wall above the altar. As a result, the Last Judgment fresco was created, which art critics call one of the most grandiose in the entire history of world painting.

This time the artist has depicted the man as weak and helpless in the face of imminent disaster. Not a trace remains of the former belief in the greatness and beauty of people. There is not a single life-affirming or admirable character in the Doomsday scene.

Jesus himself is placed in the center. But his face is menacing and impenetrable. His hands froze in a punishing gesture. The faces of the apostles, surrounding Christ from all sides, are also filled with anger. In their hands they hold instruments of torture, which do not bode well for the sinners spread before them.

Late completions of murals and restoration work

The Sistine Chapel is the greatest monument of monumental painting of the Renaissance. But even later corrections and additions are important historical evidence.

The scene of the "Last Judgment" with dozens of naked bodies from the very beginning was ambiguously perceived by the clergy. It is known that Pope Paul IV ordered the student of Michelangelo - de Volterra to cover the intimate places of the depicted figures with draperies, and Clement VIII ordered the destruction of the fresco. It was possible to save her only thanks to the intercession of artists. Attempts to finish drawing clothes were also made in the 17th-18th centuries.

As a result, when at the end of the 20th century a group of specialists began to work, they faced a serious problem - which version of the painting should be restored. It was decided to leave the draperies completed by de Voltaire at the end of the 16th century, and remove the rest of the edits.

After cleaning the frescoes from soot and dust, they again shone with bright colors. This made it possible to see the images in the form in which they were written by the great masters of the Renaissance.

Answering the question what a chapel is, it should be mentioned that this word is used not only to refer to a religious building. A chapel is a place in a cathedral where there are singers, a musical or singing ensemble performing sacred music, or even a professional musical institution, such as the Academic Chapel (St. Petersburg, Moika embankment, 20).

One of the greatest monuments of Renaissance art, which should be touched by every guest of the Eternal City, is the Sistine Chapel. The painting by the outstanding painters of the Italian Renaissance is striking both in the scale of the idea and in the filigree of execution. Traditional biblical stories are presented from the standpoint of humanism - the defining worldview of that time. Not theological mysticism, but the human essence - whether high or low - found its embodiment on the walls of the chapel. This symbol of the power and wealth of the Catholic Church has become a monument to the genius of one of the titans of the Renaissance - Michelangelo Buonarroti.

What is a "chapel"? Sistine Chapel in Rome

A Catholic chapel is a religious building not intended for public worship. This term is translated into Russian as "chapel" or "house church".

The Great Chapel, on the site of which the famous Sistine Chapel was later built, has served as a meeting place for the cardinals of the Roman Church since the return of the popes to the Vatican from the "Avignon captivity" at the end of the 14th century.

By the end of the 15th century, the position of the papal state was ambiguous: on the one hand, huge power and wealth, on the other hand, the constant threat of military invasion by secular rulers who wanted to have influence on the Catholic Church or profit from part of its property. This duality is reflected by the Sistine Chapel built in the 80s of the XV century: a fortress outside - a museum inside.

architectural simplicity

Pope Sixtus IV ordered the reconstruction of the chapel of the Roman cardinals, whose name this building later received. The author of the project is Baccio Pantelli, the architect is George de Dolci.

Since it was possible that the building, located in the heart of the Vatican, next to St. Peter's, would have to be used as a shelter from enemy troops, the Sistine Chapel was built in accordance with the requirements for a fortress. The rectangular three-story building has the dimensions of the Old Testament Temple of Solomon - 41 meters long and 13 meters wide. On the top floor there is a guardroom and a circular defensive gallery.

There are no architectural features inside the building either: a large rectangular hall with an oval vault, divided into two unequal parts by a marble fence. It was originally planned that the decoration of this object would not be architectural delights, but the painting of the walls and ceiling.

The first frescoes

The most prominent representatives of the Florentine art school were invited to decorate the interior. Among them are recognized masters Cosimo, Perugino, Ghirlandaio, Rosselli, Botticelli and their students. In the period from 1481 to 1483, these painters created 16 frescoes on biblical motifs (12 paintings have survived to this day) and portraits of 28 popes.

Among the surviving works of art by the Florentine masters, six belong to the cycle of the history of Christ and six to the history of Moses. On the altar wall of the temple there were the first chronologically known frescoes of both cycles known to us only from the descriptions: "The Birth of Christ" and "The Finding of Moses". Over them, half a century later, Michelangelo's masterpiece "The Last Judgment" was applied.

Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel before Michelangelo is not known to art historians. We only know that the vault was a celestial sphere strewn with stars.

Rebirth Titan

In 1508, Pope Julius II invited the famous sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti to paint the plafond (vaulted ceiling) of the chapel.

A descendant of an impoverished noble Florentine family, Michelangelo had an interest in stone and sculpture since childhood. This hobby was not understood by his father, who believed that working with his hands was below the dignity of an aristocrat. However, the first successes of the young man dispelled all doubts: he should be a great sculptor! A student of Ghirlandaio, a pupil of Lorenzo Medici, forced to leave his native city for political reasons, he gained his fame in Rome.

In the last years of the fifteenth century, Michelangelo creates a statue of Bacchus and a marble composition Pieta ("Weeper" - in honor of the Mother of God mourning Christ). The work is recognized as a masterpiece! The success of Pieta four years later, already in Florence, is repeated by the statue of David, put on public display in the central square.

In 1506, Julius II summoned a young sculptor to Rome to work on the statues of the papal tomb. Soon, the Pope cools off to this project, but a new idea arises in his brain.

Unwanted task

It was not otherwise that divine providence suggested to Julius who exactly should be painting the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo did not feel joy from such an order: for the sake of the frescoes of the chapel, he had to postpone the sculpture of sculptures for the papal tomb in St. Peter's Cathedral. Painting at that time was not a priority for Michelangelo. However, it was impossible to refuse the all-powerful customer, and in August of the same year, work began.

The master, who had no experience in plafond painting, had to face a number of difficulties, which is why at first he had to experiment a lot and endure many disappointments. The execution of the painting was also complicated by the fact that Michelangelo refused any help - both artistic and technical. He forbade even the Pope to look at the unfinished work. The only person who helped him in his work was a student who mixed paints.

Difficulties of the initial stage

First of all, in order not to damage the already existing frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo had to create fundamentally new scaffolding that did not touch the walls. On this building, at a height of twenty meters, the artist was to spend the next four years...

Humidity was the first problem. The fragment had to be written within one day, until the soaked area of ​​the plaster dried up (the finished painting looked unnatural when it was dry). But it turned out that the next day the drawing either dried up and discolored, or disappeared under a wet spot. Here persistence was shown by Julius, who "imposed" a consultant on the proud Michelangelo, with the help of which a solution to the problem with humidity was found.

Another difficulty was created by the uneven surface of the ceiling, which distorted the proportions. Here, the master himself had to deform the paintings in such a way that the figures looked proportional from the floor.

Chapel ceiling frescoes

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, together with the adjacent lunettes, has an area of ​​about 600 m2. Huge job for one person! The painting lasted from 1508 to 1512. What did the master depict?

In the center of the vault there are three groups of frescoes: "The Creation of the World", "The Creation of Man", "The Deluge". Each of them has three pictures. The "Creation of the World" series includes "Separation of Light from Darkness", "Creation of the Sun and Stars" and "Separation of Water from Land". The second group includes "The Creation of Adam" (perhaps the most famous fragment of the fresco), "The Creation of Eve", "The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden". The third group includes the fragments "Intoxication of Noah", "The Great Flood" and "Noah's Sacrifice".

These frescoes are surrounded by images of Old Testament prophets and sibyls (soothsayers). Even lower we see numerous portraits of the ancestors of Christ. In addition, in the rounded corners of the ceiling, four large-scale paintings on themes from the Old Testament are depicted.

"Last Judgment"

Upon completion of this grandiose work, the Sistine Chapel was completely painted, so hardly anyone would have thought that Michelangelo would have to return to work on its frescoes. However, in 1534, the new Pope Paul III decided to decorate the altar wall of the chapel with a huge fresco depicting the Last Judgment. He sees only the author of the remarkable painting of the plafond of the papal chapel as a performer. So the fifty-nine-year-old Michelangelo takes on a new large-scale order.

To make room for the painting, two frescoes by Perugino, created by him in the 80s of the previous century, had to be plastered and several windows closed. The entire space above the altar was dedicated to the image of God's Judgment.

It makes no sense to retell the plot of this fresco of the Sistine Chapel - it is better to see it with your own eyes in photographs, since today it is not difficult to find them. It is only necessary to explain why, from the power and greatness of man, displayed on the ceiling of the chapel, Michelangelo moves on to depicting people as victims of fate, powerless toys in the hands of higher powers. The reason is not only the plot of the Last Judgment, which can hardly be called life-affirming, and not only the age of the master. All the life he lived, all the events that took place around him: coups, wars, civil strife, the occupation of part of Italy by neighbors, all the poverty and injustice of the world around him undermined Michelangelo's faith in the power of human will and reason.

Further improvements

The senselessness of ruling what was created by geniuses is not obvious to everyone and not always. Even during the life of the great Buonarroti, someone else's brush passed through his frescoes. All the characters of the Last Judgment were painted naked, which seemed indecent to many. In 1565, Daniele de Volterra added loincloths to the figures of this fresco, thereby "immortalizing" himself under the nickname "Braghettone" (underwear). Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel took on the decorous air we know.

But even with the "cuts" the fresco of the Last Judgment was not safe. In 1596, she was almost shot down at the behest of Pope Clement VIII. The masterpiece was then saved by the petition of the artists of the Roman Academy of St. Luke.

Restoration in the 20th century

For four centuries, restoration work in the Sistine Chapel was carried out more than once, but soon the frescoes were again covered with candle soot and dirt. The last restoration was carried out in the nineties of the last century. Cleaned and carefully restored, the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel caused considerable surprise to the researchers.

Previously, there was a widespread belief that Michelangelo used muted colors in his work. Not at all. After the restoration, the famous works of the master shone with a bright range of colors. However, many connoisseurs did not accept the updated look of the chapel, considering the results of the restoration to be inconsistent with the appearance of the original source.

Where is the Sistine Chapel located? In which city can you see Michelangelo's masterpiece?

Wanting to gain a reputation as a patron of the arts (and at the same time replenish the treasury), the Catholic Church opened many of its palaces and treasuries to visitors. The Sistine Chapel, like many other Vatican museums, can be visited by anyone. All you need is twenty euros for a ticket. Well, of course, you first need to get to Rome, because it is in this city that the papal capital with all its attractions is located.

But it would be wrong to think that the Sistine Chapel is only a museum. Until now, important meetings of cardinals are held in this building, the most important of which - the conclave - gathers after the death of the next Pope to elect his successor.

In the palace complex of the Vatican in Rome, a monument of Italian Renaissance art. Built by the architect G. de Dolci in 1473 81, consecrated in 1483 under Pope Sixtus IV, after whom it got its name. In 1481 83 walls ... ... Art Encyclopedia

Choir of singers, founded in the XV century. Pope Sixtus IV. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. SISTINE CHAPEL chapel in the Vatican (papal palace in Rome), built in the middle of the 15th century. under Pope Sixtus IV; ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

In Rome, the former house church in the Vatican (1473-81, architect G. de Dolci), now a museum, a monument of architecture and art of the Renaissance. Rectangular in plan with paintings by S. Botticelli, Pinturicchio and others (the walls of the Sistine Chapel, 1481 ... Modern Encyclopedia

The Sistine Chapel- in Rome, the former house church in the Vatican (1473 - 81, architect G. de Dolci), now a museum, a monument of architecture and art of the Renaissance. Rectangular in plan with paintings by S. Botticelli, Pinturicchio and others (walls of the Sistine Chapel, ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Cappella Sistina) in Rome, the former house church in the Vatican (1473-81, architect G. de Dolci), now a museum, an outstanding monument of the Renaissance. Rectangular in plan with wall paintings (1481 83, S. Botticelli, Pinturicchio, etc.), arches with ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

The Vatican in Rome, one of the most outstanding monuments of Italian Renaissance art. The building, rectangular in plan, was built by the architect G. de Dolci in 1473 81 and consecrated in 1483 under Pope Sixtus IV, named ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

One of the home churches of the popes in their Vatican Palace in Rome, famous for its wall and plafond painting. It was built in 1473 under Pope Sixtus IV, from whom its name comes. Its architect was supposedly Baccio Pinteli. She… … Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

- (Capella Sistina) in Rome, the former house church in the Vatican (1473-81, architect G. de Dolci), now a museum, an outstanding monument of the Renaissance. Rectangular in plan with wall paintings (1481 83, S. Botticelli, Pinturicchio, etc.), ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

In the palace complex of the Vatican in Rome, a monument of Italian Renaissance art. Built by the architect G. de Dolci in 1473-1481, consecrated in 1483 under Pope Sixtus IV, after whom it got its name. In 1481 1483… … Construction dictionary

Books

• Puzzle-18000 "Sistine Chapel" (16065) , . Puzzle. Number of elements: 18,000 Assembled puzzle size: 321 x 157 cm Age: 12+ Made in Spain…
• Trefl. Puzzle-6000 "Sistine Chapel" (65000) , . Puzzle-mosaic. Number of elements: 6000 The size of the finished picture is 136 x 96 cm. Material: cardboard, paper Packing: cardboard box. Made in Poland...