Discover the Sistine Chapel 2026

Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo painted the vaulted ceiling almost single-handedly with scenes from the Book of Genesis, including the famous depiction of the Creation of Adam, a work still regarded today as the pinnacle of Renaissance painting.

Nearly three decades after the ceiling, an aged Michelangelo returned between 1536 and 1541 to paint the vast altar wall with the dramatic fresco of the Last Judgment, depicting over 300 figures in a monumental composition.

For centuries, the cardinals have gathered for the secret papal election beneath Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, and the rising white or black smoke from the makeshift chimney still announces the conclave's outcome to the world today.

Out of respect for the sacred significance of the site, strict photography rules apply and visitors are asked for silence, which attendants regularly enforce with a quiet hiss whenever the noise level of the crowds gets too loud.

The chapel is located inside the Vatican Museums and is accessed via the main entrance on Viale Vaticano, about a ten-minute walk from the Ottaviano metro station in Rome.

Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo painted the vaulted ceiling almost single-handedly with scenes from the Book of Genesis, including the famous depiction of the Creation of Adam, a work still regarded today as the pinnacle of Renaissance painting.

Nearly three decades after the ceiling, an aged Michelangelo returned between 1536 and 1541 to paint the vast altar wall with the dramatic fresco of the Last Judgment, depicting over 300 figures in a monumental composition.

For centuries, the cardinals have gathered for the secret papal election beneath Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, and the rising white or black smoke from the makeshift chimney still announces the conclave's outcome to the world today.