A Journey to the Sistine Chapel in the Heart of Vatican City

Sistine Chapel is one of the most significant chapels in the world located in the Apostolic
Palace in Vatican City. The work on the construction of the Chapel was started in the
year 1473 while it was completed in the year 1481. Originally, the chapel was known as
Cappella Magna but its name was changed after the Pope Sixtus IV who had taken a
personal interest in restoring the glory of the Chapel during his time as the pope. The
chapel is also the venue where the College of Cardinals convenes to elect the new pope.
The main attractions of the Chapel, which attract millions of people every year from all
over the world to the Vatican City, are the painting of Michelangelo.
There are many other famous paintings and artworks from many artists of the
Renaissance era, which are a source of amusement for the tourists. We had planned the
visits to all the popular and religiously historical places and building for which we had
already visited a number of different countries across the world. Vatican City was high
on our list due to its significance in the Roman Catholicism. We reached the city in the
month of December, which is the time of the year when a lot of people come here on
the eve of Christmas.

Exploring the Paintings of Michelangelo at Sistine Chapel

Most significant pieces of work in decorating the Sistine Chapel was conducted by
Michelangelo who painted the ceiling of the building from 1508 to 1512. He carried out
work on other parts of the chapel in later years but it is the work during this time, which
holds a special place. We spent hours exploring the intricacies and artistic excellence of
the paintings of Michelangelo. The most awe-aspiring painting on the ceiling of the
chapel is “The Creation of Adam” which shows the finger of God touching the finger of
Adam in order to spark life.

There are numerous other paintings detailing events of the creation of the universe,
Adam & Eve, historic events from the lives of prophets such as the story of Moses, the
Great flood, the Sacrifice of Noah and other paintings of prophets and other significant
figures from biblical history.

Exploring the Architecture and Design of the Sistine Chapel

We also explored the architecture of the building of the Chapel in detail and we were
aided by the knowledge of our guide on this tour. The chapel has three stories in which
the lowest story is a tall basement having vaults whose purpose is to support the
Chapel. Above the basement is the main space, which is the most significant tourist
attraction. Above this space is the ceiling at the height of 20.7 meters. The third story of
the building is reserved for wardrooms for the guards. The building of the Sistine Chapel
is highly decorated, which mesmerizes the tourists for a long time.
We spent a few days visiting various historical places in Vatican City before we went to
Italy for spending a few weeks in Rome.