Sistine Chapel

Also on Monday, we visited the Sistine Chapel.  The Chapel has strict rules:  no cameras and no talking!  So, although I could not take a photo, I found one that should provide a good view of Michelangelo’s painted ceiling and altar wall.

I had two surprises when I went into the Chapel:  1) how very large the ceiling art work is and 2) how very detailed and intricate  each scene was depicted. Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512, when he was 24 – 27 years old.  Pope Julius II requested Michelangelo to paint this in a fresco style, which Michelangelo had never done before:  he would have to take wet plaster, apply it, and then paint it.  When you see what he accomplished without this experience and on his back for 4 years, it is amazing!  Although it appears that there are wooden or stone moldings on the ceiling dividing the various biblical stories depicted, these moldings are all painted on by Michelangelo and will fool your eye as you try to study each scene. 

So, this is the best I can do to show you what the ceiling and back wall looked like.  By the way, Michelangelo painted the ceiling in his 20’s and he painted the back wall in his 60’s.  If you can blow it up to see the detail better, you'll appreciate what he accomplished: