Several magnificent monuments of architecture and art at once formed the basis grandiose complex in Rome called the Vatican Palaces. The papal apartments, Catholic government offices, museums, the Vatican Library and several chapels formed the most magnificent monument in the world.

Vatican palaces. Pages of history

It was not possible to establish the temporary starting point from which the construction of the future residence of the heads of the Catholic Church began. One version attributes the beginning of construction to Constantine the Great, another connects the Vatican palaces with the residence of the apostles from the time of Symmachus (VI century). Of course, today ancient building not a trace remained: numerous reconstructions and improvements did their job. Initially, the building acted as a temporary residence for the popes (it was permanent) during periods of visits to St. Peter's Cathedral. The small palace gradually expanded and became increasingly important for history. Thus, the emperors Otto I and Charlemagne in the 9th-10th centuries were crowned to rule the state precisely in the Vatican Council. In the era of Leo IV, the papal palace was surrounded by a fortress wall, which gave the complex the name “City of Leo”. True, subsequent centuries had a devastating impact on the building, and Popes Celestino III and Eugene III had to carry out significant restoration of the structure.

The project to transform the building into the permanent residence of the heads of the church was initiated in the 13th century by Pope Innocent III. First of all, permanent place the residence of the holy men had to be well fortified. In this regard, the project was based on already existing defensive structures: the fortress walls of the city of Leo and the Castel Sant'Angelo, associated with the palace, the so-called Borgo Corridor of the times of Pope Nicholas III. But before the palace in Rome becomes official papal residence, another whole century will pass.

The end of the popes' exile in France was marked by the return of Gregory XI to Rome in 1377. Since then, the Vatican became his permanent place of residence. The next two centuries passed in constant rebuilding and reconstruction of the papal home. Under Nicholas V in 1450, the residence was expanded: preserving all the existing buildings, a grandiose palace was erected, and the Parrot's courtyard was inscribed in its square. The new Vatican Palace boasted a huge number of halls, the interior decoration of which was carried out by Piero della Francesca and Andrea del Castagno, and the Chapel of Nicholas V, decorated with frescoes with scenes from the lives of Saints Lawrence and Stephen Beato Angelico. The halls on the first floor with access to the courtyard became the Vatican Library, which was founded in 1451. True, 20 years later, the new Pope Sixtus IV commissioned the re-decoration by Ghirlandaio and Melozzo da Forli, finding a different use for the halls of the Vatican Library.
And in 1473, Giovanni de Dolce received from Pope Sixtus IV the task of building a chapel, later named, worthy of papal services. Representatives of the Umbrian art school, including Sandro Botticelli, Perugino and Pinturicchio, worked on the interior decoration of the chapel in 1481–1483, completing two cycles about the lives of Jesus and Moses.

The work of Nicholas V was completed by Alexander VI Borgia, on whose orders the Borgia Apartments were built in the 15th century. They consisted of six halls, three of which were “sheltered” by the Apostolic Palace, and three belong to the Borgia Tower, the decoration of which was entrusted to Pinturicchio and his students. All new halls were named according to the frescoes that decorated them:

• The Prophets and Sibyls of the Hall of Sibyls display the prediction of the coming of the savior;
• Figures of prophets and apostles decorate the Hall of the Creed, dedicated to Christianity;
• The Hall of Liberal Arts was “given” frescoes depicting the Quamrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music) and Trivia (rhetoric, grammar, dialectic) by Antonio da Viterbo;
• The Hall of Saints houses frescoes by Pinturicchio depicting scenes from the lives of Christian martyrs and saints;
• The Halls of the Miracles of the Faith and the Pontiffs are decorated with frescoes and sculptures by Perin del Vaga, Giovanni da Udine.

By order of Inoccent VIII, the Belvedere Palace was also erected next to the Vatican. But the most large-scale transformations awaited the Vatican complex during the time of Pope and philanthropist Julius II, who instructed Bramante to carry out the unification of the palaces of Innocent VIII and Nicholas V. The result of the work carried out was the Belvedere Courtyard. The perspective of the courtyard (instead of the escedra with two staircases made earlier by Bramante) is blocked by a niche created by Pirro Ligorio in 1560. The loggias in the Courtyard of San Damaso, decorated with frescoes by Raphael, were also designed by Julius II. Thanks to the reconstruction, the facade of the Apostolic Palace began to overlook St. Peter's Square. And it was under Julius II that Michelangelo decorated the vault of the Sistine Chapel with his frescoes in 1509 - 1512, and Raphael in 1508 - 1524. was engaged in painting Stanzas (ceremonial halls).

The primacy of Pope Sixtus V occurred in the Baroque era, when Dominico Fontana created a modern residence, and the Belvedere was “cut” by the Transverse Courtyard. The construction of the Regge Staircase and the Paolina Halls, designed by Bernini, began in the 17th century during the reign of Pope Urban VIII. In the next century, work was carried out to create museums: the Museums of Church and Secular Art, the Chiaramonti Museum and the Pio Clementino Museum appeared. Already in the 20th century, under Pius XII, archaeological research was carried out under St. Peter's Basilica, and under John XXIII, the construction of new museum halls for the collection of the Lateran Palace began.

Description of the Vatican Palaces complex

Considering the long period of creation, the complex cannot be a complete monument of architecture and art. It is a collection of palaces, chapels, halls, galleries and courtyards belonging to different historical eras and architectural styles, preserving real treasures of sculpture, mosaic art and painting. The palace itself today has about 200 staircases, 20 courtyards and 12,000 different rooms.

The irregular quadrangle of the Vatican Palace stretches in an oblique direction from south to north from the columns of St. Peter. Two galleries connecting the Old Vatican with the Belvedere form the western and eastern longitudinal facades. Transverse galleries (Braccio Nuovo and Library Gallery) divide the space into 3 courtyards. The courtyard closest to the Vatican is called Belvedere, and the Giardino della Pigna garden is laid out in the third courtyard further away. By the way, this is not the only garden complex. On the hillside not far from the Villa of Pius IV, built by Pirro Ligorio, there is a garden called Girardino Pontifico.

Ancient part of the Apostolic Palace

Not far from the equestrian statue of Constantine is the main entrance to the Apostolic Palace. The main staircase with an Ionic colonnade leads to the Royal Hall, which serves as a kind of vestibule for the Pauline and Sistine chapels. The truly royal decoration of the Hall itself are the frescoes of Salviatti, Vasari, the Zucchero brothers, Sammachini and Sicchiolante. But Michelangelo’s frescoes “The Crucifixion of the Apostle Peter” and “The Conversion of the Apostle Paul” of the Pauline Chapel suffered quite badly from the soot of candles, because Easter services are still held here today.

The second floor is famous for its halls and loggias, painted by Raphael. The Hall of Constantine leads into the Hall of Chiaroscuro, from which you can enter the gallery of boxes on one side, and the Chapel of San Lorenzo on the other side. True, the main road to the gallery of lodges remains the magnificent staircase of 118 steps leading from the Courtyard of San Domaso.

The oldest part of the complex also includes some of the Vatican Museums. So, back in the 19th century, behind the Raphael Lodges, in five halls on the third floor, the Vatican Art Gallery was located, and in 1908, one wing of the Belvedere Palace was enriched with the Vatican Pinacothecae.

The audience hall and personal apartments of the Pope are located on the side of the Cathedral of St. Peter's around the Court of San Domaso.

Vatican palaces. Galleries

They have Vatican palaces and their own galleries. The Braccio Nuovo and Bramante galleries are the most famous Vatican galleries, dedicated to the Chiaramonti Museum. On each side, the Bramante Gallery is divided into 30 parts, furnished with bas-reliefs, busts and statues of Caesar, Ciciro, Tiberius and others. The Braccio Nuovo Gallery stores busts and statues of Trajan, Augustus, Titus, Hadrian, Mark Antony and other personalities. Just one grille separates the Chiaramonti Museum in the south from the Museum of Inscriptions, founded by Pius VII and housing more than 3,000 exhibits.

The western part of the Bramante Gallery is truly replete with museums, among which stand out: the Cabinet of Papyri, the Museum of Sacred Objects, the Museum of Secular Objects and the Numismatic Cabinet. On the second floor (Arazzi Gallery) are collected precious carpets depicting the apostles based on paintings by Raphael.

Vatican palaces. Belvedere Palace

There are two entrance halls leading to the Pius Clemente Museum, located in the Belvedere Palace. From the round one there is a magnificent panorama of the The eternal City, and the quadrangular one is famous thanks to the torso of Hercules. The Hall of Mileagre with a statue of a hunter from myths is located near the circular vestibule. From here you can enter the octagonal courtyard, surrounded by a portico with 16 granite columns. Under the portico itself, antique bas-reliefs, fonts, sarcophagi and altars found their place. And in the niches, for many decades, Apollo Belvedere, Canova’s Perseus, Laocoon with his sons and Mercury have been showing off.

From the courtyard you can enter the gallery of Statues with Sleeping Ariadne and Cupid Praxiteles, then, through the Hall of Beasts, into the Hall of Muses in the shape of an octagon supported by 16 marble columns. Next comes the Round Hall with a dome supported by 10 marble columns and antique mosaics from Otricoli. Here you can admire the red porphyry pool, which amazes not only with its beauty, but also with its size. To the south of the hall is the Hall of the Greek Cross with sarcophagi of Saints Constance and Helen made of red porphyry.

From here you can go to the main museum staircase, created by Simonetta, and from it to the Egyptian and then the Etruscan museums, founded by Pius VII and Gregory XVI, respectively. The museum's staircase, in turn, leads to the Giardino della Pigna, named after the bronze fountain in the shape of a cone, located in a niche at the end of the building.

The grand complex of the Vatican Palaces is today considered the most significant for humanity architectural ensemble all over the world, and the greatness of the treasures collected here can plunge any connoisseur of beauty into “sacred” awe for a long time.

Some people, let alone the Popes, definitely know how to live beautifully. Their residence in the Vatican consists not of one, but of several buildings at once, which are combined into the Apostolic Palace complex. The Apollo Belvedere, the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Stanzas are all masterpieces in the Vatican Palace.

The Apostolic or, as it is often called, the Papal Palace is located in the Vatican and consists of several independent buildings located around the courtyard of Sixtus V. These include, for example, the Pope’s apartments, the Belvedere Palace with the Pius Clement Museum located in it, chapels, the famous The Sistine Chapel, Stanzas of Raphael, the Borgia apartments, as well as several office premises. Several galleries are also considered part of the complex, including Braccio Nuovo and Bramante.

Apostolic Palace

When was the palace built?

The beginning of the construction of the Vatican Palace dates back to approximately the 5th-6th centuries, although some historians suggest that the first stone could have been laid even earlier, during the time of Constantine the Great, that is, at the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 4th centuries. Be that as it may, already during the coronation of Charlemagne, Pope Leo III lived in a palace on Vatican Hill. The building, however, fell into disrepair over time, and until the Avignon captivity, the Lateran Palace in Rome served as a refuge for the Popes.

For 70 years, the Popes languished in Avignon, and at the end of the 14th century they returned to settle in the Vatican again - this time for good. Before late XIX centuries, the Popes also had a summer residence in the Quirinal Palace in Rome, where the President of Italy now lives.

The Belvedere Museum houses Michelangelo's Last Judgment

The palace complex was rebuilt gradually. In the second half of the 15th century, the Sistine Chapel was built on the site of the former Great Chapel. The Italian architect Giorgio de Dolci worked on its creation. The building is famous for its beautiful frescoes by Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo. And to look at the famous “Last Judgment” on the altar wall, thousands of tourists come to the Vatican every day.

World masterpieces in the Vatican palaces

At the end of the 15th century, the Belvedere Palace grew on Vatican Hill. The architect Donato Bramante worked on it - the same one who had a hand in the creation of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. At the end of the 18th century, by order of Clement XIV and Pius VI, the Pio Clementino Museum was located in the palace. It is famous for its square courtyard, where the world's famous sculptures. It is here that you can see the Apollo Belvedere, a marble copy of the mid-2nd century AD. In one of the niches of the garden there is the composition “Laocoon and Sons”, which was restored by Michelangelo.

Laocoon and sons

Donato Bramante began the construction of boxes, which were later painted by Raphael and his students. Next to them are the Stanzas of Raphael, on which the artist worked on the orders of Pope Julius II. At that time, the future genius was only 25 years old, and this order became the starting point for the young talent. For almost 10 years he worked to create the frescoes, which are today considered one of the greatest works of art of the Renaissance. Not far from Raphael's boxes on the third floor of the palace there was an art gallery, which was moved to the Belvedere Palace at the beginning of the 20th century. Now the Vatican Pinakothek is located in a separate building. On the walls you can find masterpieces by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian.

The Vatican palace complex includes several other museums. IN early XIX century, Pope Pius VII founded the Chiaramonti Museum. It contains an impressive collection of ancient sculptures, including, for example, the same Nile with 16 tributary children. Pope Gregory XVI founded the Egyptian and Etruscan museums a little later. The collection, of course, is inferior to that of the famous Egyptian Museum in Berlin, but it also contains interesting finds, for example, a sculpture of Ramses II on the throne and a headless statue of Ujagoressent (a priest who lived in the 6th century BC). A special place in the structure of the Vatican Palace is occupied by the Apostolic Library, where more than one and a half million printed books and about one and a half hundred manuscripts of the Renaissance are stored.

Neil with children

The Apostolic Palace is associated with the conversion of the Pope. It is from here that the pontiff speaks to his flock every Sunday. The Pope’s personal flag (designed for each individual separately) is hung from the window of the palace office, and then all those gathered can see the pontiff in person.

The Vatican Palaces are the most majestic architectural monument in the world. It includes: museums, chapels, Catholic government agencies. The Vatican palaces are not a single structure, but a complex of buildings and structures that are shaped like an irregular quadrangle.

Historians to this day have not come to a clear conclusion about the start date of construction of the Apostolic Palace. Thus, some historians consider the days of the reign of Constantine the Great to be the starting point, others draw a parallel with the apostolic residence of the times of Symmachus (6th century AD). It has been established that for some time the Apostolic Palace was empty, but after the Avignon captivity of the popes it again became the “home” of the popes.

In the 15th century, Pope Nicholas V proposed building a new palace. Architects and builders set about reconstructing the northern wing without destroying the old walls. This building later included the Borgia apartments.

2 floors of the military tower were converted into a chapel, which later received the name “Niccolina”, because for some time the chapel was the personal chapel of Nicholas V. The chapel was decorated by a Dominican monk, the artist Fra Beato Angelico, and his student B. Gotzozoli. Three walls of the chapel tell stories from the lives of Saints Lorenzo and Stephen, the fourth wall later became an altar.

Towards the end of the 15th century, Pope Alexander VI Borgia invited the artist Pinturicchio to paint his chambers, which occupied six halls. The halls correspond to the subjects of the paintings - the Hall of the Mysteries of Faith, the Hall of Sibyls, the Hall of Sciences and Arts, the Hall of the Lives of Saints, the Hall of Mysteries and the Hall of Popes. Under Pope Julius II, the Vatican and Belvedere palaces were connected through the construction of galleries, the painting of which was carried out by the great Michelangelo Buonarotti and the brilliant Raphael Santi, the architect of the project was Donato Bramante.

The Belvedere Palace houses many exhibits of ancient Greek and Roman art. There are two vestibules leading to the museum: round with panoramic view to Rome and a quadrangular one, in which the torso of Hercules flaunts. Near the circular vestibule is the Hall of Meleager, represented by a statue of this hunter. From here you can access the courtyard. In the courtyard of the Belvedere Palace, Pope Julius II installed a group of Laocoon sculptures and a statue of Apollo, and very soon other archaeological finds were added to them, forming the Vatican Museums.

The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is perhaps the most famous chapel in the world - the pearl of the Vatican. The architecture of the building will not arouse much interest, but the interior decoration will amaze with the beauty of the frescoes of brilliant Renaissance artists. The chapel is named after Pope Sixtus IV, under whose patronage work was carried out on the reconstruction and decoration of the building in the period from 1477 to 1482. To this day, the conclave (a meeting of cardinals to choose a new pope) takes place here.

The Sistine Chapel consists of three floors covered with a barrel vault. The chapel is divided into two parts by a wall of marble with bas-reliefs, on which Giovanni Dolmato, Mino da Fiesole and Andrea Bregno worked.

The side walls are divided into three tiers: the lower tier is decorated with draperies with the coat of arms of the Pope, made in gold and silver; Artists worked on the middle tier: Botticelli, Cosimo Rosselli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, who introduced us to scenes from the lives of Christ and Moses. But still, the greatest works of art are considered to be the ceiling and wall paintings made by the painter Michelangelo. The ceiling frescoes depict 9 scenes from the Old Testament - from the creation of the world to the Fall. On the wall above the altar of the chapel there is a scene of the Last Judgment, which during important ceremonies is decorated with tapestries made according to sketches by Raphael.

Vatican Apostolic Library

The Vatican Library is famous for its rich collection of manuscripts from different eras. The library was founded by Pope Nicholas V in the 15th century. The library's collection is constantly being replenished; now its fund includes about 150 thousand manuscripts, 1.6 million printed books, 8.3 thousand incunabula, more than 100 thousand engravings and geographical maps, 300 thousand coins and medals.

How to get there?

The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, located in the Vatican. Also known as the Papal Palace and the Vatican Palace. In the Vatican itself, the building is called the Palace of Sixtus V in honor of Pope Sixtus V.

The Apostolic Palace consists of the Papal Apartments, various offices of the Catholic Church and the Holy See, private and public chapels, the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Library, including the Borgia Apartments, now used to store works of art.

Returning to Rome in 1377 after the Captivity of Avignon, the court of the Pope first chose the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere as its residence, and then the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. By that time, the old Vatican Palace had fallen into complete disrepair, and the Lateran Palace, which had once official residence Dad, suffered two serious fires. In 1447, Pope Nicholas V demolished the ancient fortified building in order to build the current Apostolic Palace in its place. Then, over the course of one and a half hundred years, the palace was completed and decorated. It began to acquire its current appearance at the end of the 16th century under Pope Sixtus V. In the 20th century, by order of Pope Pius XI, a monumental entrance to the art gallery and museum was built.

To be precise, the Apostolic Palace consists of several separate buildings located around the courtyard of Sixtus V (Cortile di Sisto V). It stands northeast of St. Peter's Bastion next to the Bastion of Nicholas V and Palazzo Gregorio XIII.

The Apartments Borgia are a series of rooms in the palace intended for the personal use of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo de Borgia). It was he who, at the end of the 15th century, commissioned the Italian artist Pinturicchio to decorate the apartments with frescoes. The rooms are part of the Vatican Library and Vatican Museum - most of them are now occupied by the Vatican's collection of modern religious art, which began in 1973 on the initiative of Pope Paul VI.

The Clementine Hall was created in the 16th century by order of Pope Clement VIII in honor of his predecessor, Pope Clement I. Like the other chapels and apartments of the palace, this hall is notable for its huge collection of frescoes and other works of art.

But perhaps the most famous room of the Apostolic Palace is the Sistine Chapel, named after Pope Sixtus IV. It is famous for its frescoes, which were worked on by outstanding masters of the Renaissance - Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio, Domenico Ghirlandaio and others.

• Address: 00120, Vatican
• Telephone: +39 06 6988 3860
• Purpose: Palazzo
• Vatican Museums website: http://www.museivaticani.va

Apostolic Palace in the Vatican- This is the official “place of residence” of the Pope. It is also called the Papal Palace, and its official name is the Palace of Sixtus V. In fact, this is not one building, but a whole “collection” of palaces, chapels, chapels, museums and galleries built in different time, in different styles. All of them are located around Cortile di Sisto V.

The Apostolic Palace is located northeast. Next to it there are two more famous ones - the Palace of Gregorio XIII and the Bastion of Nicholas V.

A little history

It is not known exactly when the Apostolic Palace was built; the data varies quite seriously: some historians believe that some parts of the southern, oldest part, were erected at the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 4th centuries during the reign of Constantine the Great, others - that it is much “ younger" and was built already in the 6th century. The colonnade dates back to the 8th century, and in 1447, under Pope Nicholas V, the old buildings were largely demolished and a new palace was erected in their place (with the “participation” of some old elements). It was completed and rebuilt many times, until the end of the 16th century - quite actively, but also in the 20th century it underwent completion (for example, under Pope Pius XI, a separate monumental entrance to the museum was erected).

Stanzas of Raphael

4 small rooms, painted by Raphael and his students, were called Stanze di Rafaello - (the word “stanza” is translated as room). These rooms were decorated at the direction of Pope Julius II - he chose them as his personal chambers, not wanting to live in the rooms in which Alexander VI had lived before him. There is a legend that some paintings on the walls already existed, but Julius, amazed by Raphael’s skill, ordered all the other paintings to be knocked down and instructed the artist to completely decorate the room - although Raphael was only 25 years old at that time.

The first room is called Stanza dela Segnatura; it is the only one of the four that has retained its original name - the rest are now named after the main theme of the frescoes decorating them. Signature translated means “to sign”, “to put a seal” - the room served as an office, in which dad read the papers sent to him, signed them and affixed his signature with a seal.

The artist painted the room in the period from 1508 to 1511; it is dedicated to human self-improvement, and 4 frescoes reflect 4 areas of such activity: philosophy, justice, theology and poetry.

The painting of Stanza d'Eliodoro was completed from 1511 to 1514; the theme of the paintings is the divine patronage provided to the Church and its ministers.

The third stanza is named Incendio di Borgo - after one of the frescoes, which depicts a fire in the Borgo quarter adjacent to the papal palace. All the frescoes here are dedicated to the deeds of the popes (including the fresco dedicated to the fire - according to legend, Pope Leo managed to stop not only the panic, but also the fire with the sign of the cross). Work on its painting was carried out from 1514 to 1517.

The last stanza - Sala di Konstantino - was completed by Raphael's students, since the artist died in 1520. The composition is dedicated to the struggle of the first Roman Christian emperor Constantine with the pagans.

Belvedere Palace

It is named after the sculpture of Apollo Belvedere stored in it. Today it is located in the palace. In addition to the world-famous statue of Apollo, there are many other masterpieces here, including the statue of Laocoon, Aphrodite of Cnidus, Antinous of Belvedere, Perseus by Antonio Canova, Hercules, and other equally famous sculptures.

In total, the museum contains more than 8 hundred exhibits: the Hall of Animals contains about 150 statues depicting various scenes with animals (some of them are copies of famous ancient statues, some are originals, restored by the Italian sculptor Francesco Franzoni); here is, among others, an original Greek statue depicting the torso of the Minotaur. In the Hall of the Muses there are statues depicting Apollo and the 9 Muses. The statues are copies of ancient Greek originals dating back to the 3rd century BC. There is also a cast of the Belvedere torso and statues of famous ancient Greek figures, including Pericles. The Hall of the Muses has an octagonal shape, surrounded by columns with the Corinthian order. The ceiling painting by Tomazzo Conca attracts no less attention than the sculptures themselves; it continues the plot theme created by the sculptures and depicts the muses and Apollo, as well as famous poets of antiquity - Greek and Roman.

The walls of the gallery of statues were painted by Pinturicchio and his students. There are statues of gods and goddesses, Roman emperors (Augustus, Marcus Aurelius, Nero, Caracalla, etc.), patricians and ordinary citizens, as well as copies of ancient Greek sculptures. The opposite ends of the gallery are decorated with two famous sculptures: Jupiter on the throne and the sleeping Ariadne, and besides them you can see such statues as the Drunken Satyr, the Lamentation of Penelope and others. The Hall of Busts contains busts of famous Roman citizens and ancient gods, including the funerary high relief of Cato and Porcia. In total, the hall contains about 100 busts and frescoes from the Renaissance.

Also worthy of mention are the Hall of the Greek Cross (named after the figure it represents in plan), the Cabinet of Masks, the Rotunda with a giant monolithic porphyry bowl installed in it, and the Cabinet of Apoxymenos.

In front of the Belvedere Palace there is a fountain in the form of a cone - the work of Pirro Ligorio, and the place where it is located is called. Until the beginning of the 17th century, the cone adorned the Champs de Mars in Paris, but in 1608 it was transported to the Vatican and installed in front of the entrance to the Belvedere Palace. It is an allegory of the creation of the world.

In addition to the cone, the square is decorated with an absolutely modern sculpture Sfera con Sfera - “Sphere within a Sphere” by Arnaldo Pomodoro, installed in the early 90s of the last century. The four-meter-long outer bronze sphere contains an inner rotating sphere on which a design is applied, visible through “gaps” and “holes” in the outer sphere. She personifies the Earth in the Universe and encourages us to reflect on the truth that all the destruction that is caused to our planet resonates in the outside world.

Built during the reign of Pope Sixtus IV (construction began in 1473 and completed in 1481) and named after him, and on the day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, August 15, 1483, it was consecrated. Before her, another chapel stood in this place, in which the papal court gathered. The idea of ​​​​creating a new chapel, more fortified and capable of withstanding a siege if necessary, arose from Sixtus IV in connection with the constant threats of attack on East Coast Italy from the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, as well as due to the presence of a military threat from the Signoria Medici.

However, the fortification was strengthened, and the decoration of the chapel was also not forgotten: the wall frescoes were made by Sandro Botticelli, Penturicchio and other famous artists of that time. Later, already under Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted the vault (it depicts the creation of the world), lunettes and strippings. The four panels depict the biblical scenes “The Brazen Serpent”, “David and Goliath”, “The Punishment of Haman” and “Judith and Holofernes”. Michelangelo completed the work in a fairly short time, despite the fact that he positioned himself as a sculptor, and not as a painter, and various difficulties arose during the work (some frescoes had to be knocked down due to the fact that they were covered with mold - damp plaster, on which they were applied turned out to be susceptible to mold, later a different solution was used, and the frescoes were painted anew).

Upon completion of the painting of the vault, on October 31, 1512, a solemn Vespers was served in the new chapel (on the same day and at the same hour, 500 years later, in 2012, Vespers was repeated by Pope Benedict XVI). It is not surprising that it was Michelangelo who was entrusted with painting the altar wall. The work was carried out by the master from 1536 to 1541; The scene of the Last Judgment is depicted on the wall.

Since 1492 - with the conclave at which Rodrigo Borgia was elected pope, who became Pope Alexander VI - Conclaves have been regularly held in the Sistine Chapel.

Papal Apartments

The apartment in which the Pope lives and works is located at the very top; Some of the windows face . They consist of several rooms - an office, a secretary's room, a reception room, a bedroom, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. There is also a large library, a chapel and a medical office, which is important given the age at which cardinals are usually elected pope. However, Pontiff Francis has abandoned the papal chambers and lives in the Santa Marta residence, in a two-room apartment.

In the Apostolic Palace there is another “papal apartment” - apartments that belonged to the notorious Pope Alexander VI - Borgia. Today they are part of the city, open to tourists, and the paintings done by Pinturicchio attract special attention.

How to visit the Apostolic Palace?

You can visit the Apostolic Palace on weekdays and Saturdays from 9-00 to 18-00. An adult ticket costs 16 euros, you can buy it at the box office until 16-00. On the last Sunday of the month you can visit the museum from 9-00 to 12-30 absolutely free of charge.