Sistine Chapel Rome
One of the most famous places in the world, the Sistine Chapel is the site where popes are elected and other solemn papal ceremonies are held. The chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who commissioned it in the 15th century.

It is a large rectangle, divided into two unequal parts by a marble screen, with a vaulted ceiling. The frescoes on the long walls portray events in the lives of Moses and Christ, and were completed over a 12 year period. The barrel-vaulted ceiling is covered by the famous frescoes which Michelangelo painted between 1508 and 1512. Julius II originally commissioned a design based on the Apostles, but the artist insisted on an enormously complicated theme which represents mankind waiting for the coming of the Messiah. A recent restoration project has replaced the dark soot-stained tones to their original vibrant colors. Michelangelo was summoned back to the Vatican to paint the Last Judgment on the wall behind the altar 20 years after completing the ceiling.

Access to the Chapel is only available with an admission to the Vatican Museums.