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| Flights to Rome Italy Home » Tourist Attractions in Rome » Tourist Attractions in Rome City» Sistine Chapel
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Sistine Chapel |
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The Sistine Chapel is a place of worship in the formal abode of Pope in the Palace of Vatican or the Papal Palace in the Vatican City. Sistine Chapel is popular worldwide for its famous architecture, especially its ceiling which was painted by the great Renaissance artist, Michelangelo. The purpose behind the construction of the Sistine Chapel was for serving as a place for religious and official activities. The Papal Conclaves in the Sistine Chapel are meant for the election of new popes.
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The building of the Sistine Chapel is a tall rectangular structure with a plain architectural style embodied in the exteriors just like the Italian churches of the medieval period and the Renaissance. Sistine Chapel also does not contain any exterior portico or processional doorways leading to the central hall. The interiors of the Sistine Chapel are sectioned into three storeys. The first storey of Sistine Chapel is a strongly arched basement with numerous windows and an entrance leading the way to the place outside. The inner measurements of the Sistine Chapel are 40.9 meters X 13.4 meters with the domed ceiling rising up to the height of 20.7 meters. The building of Sistine Chapel possesses a number of arched windows most of which are sealed now. Over the catacomb rises the third storey comprising wardrooms for the guards. The roofed gangway encircling the building of Sistine Chapel is present at this storey, the building being sheltered with pantile tiles.
The interiors of the Sistine Chapel have not been measured properly but the entire interior structure is in full proportion. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is a flat barreled dome which was painted attractively and colorfully and the marble screen is surpassed by a row of elaborately designed golden candlesticks with a wooden door. An ornately designed gilded iron door was formerly in its place. The Sistine Chapel is decorated beautifully with tapestries and frescoes. The three tiers of the walls are adorned with silvery and golden wall hangings. The ceiling accredited by Pope Julius II was painted attractively by Michelangelo during the years 1508 and 1511 with nine famous paintings displaying "God's Creation of the World", "God's Relationship with Mankind" and "Mankind's Fall from God's Grace". Paintings of twelve classic and Biblical men and women who predicted the birth of Jesus are also there. Raphael was accredited to design a number of tapestries for decorating the lower level of the wall and Michelangelo was further accredited to adorn the wall over the altar with The Last Judgement. The paintings on the wall inside the Sistine Chapel had been done by the famous 15th century such as Botticelli, Rossellini, Signorelli, Ghirlandaio and Perugino. "The Punishment of Korah" by Botticelli and "Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter" by Perugino are two most significant scenes included in the fresco cycle. "The Temptation of Christ" and Scenes of the Life of Moses are other important scenes painted by Sandro Botticelli.
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