SISTINE CHAPEL

The Sistine Chapel was built between 1475 and 1483, during the office of Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere, as the pope's chapel and location of the papal elections, also known as conclaves, term derived from Latin meaning cum clavi ("with a key"), referring to the "locking away" of the electors during the process. In some respects, it could be considered a personal monument to the Della Rovere family, since Pope Sixtus IV oversaw its actual construction and the creations of the frescoes beneath the vaults. In addition, images of oak leaves and acorns are found throughout which are also symbolic to the meaning of the surname "Della Rovere" literally meaning "from the oak". The architectural plans were done by Baccio Pontelli and construction was supervised by Giovannino de' Dolci. It has a rectangular shape and measures approx. 41.93 meters long by 13.41 meters wide, curiously, the exact dimensions of the Temple of Solomon, as written in the Old Testament. It is 20.70 meters high and roofed by a flattened barrel vault, with small side vaults over the centered windows. In 1481, many Florentine painters like Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Cosimo Rosselli as well as the Perugian Pietro Perugino were called to Rome to decorate the walls with frescoes. The entire creation of frescoes took place over the astonishingly short period of not even a year, between 1481 and 1482. Finally, the exquisitely frescoed chapel, was consecrated and dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin on August 15th, 1483 Some years later in 1508, it was the nephew of Pope Sixtus, Pope Julius II, who summoned Michelangelo Buonarroti to re-create the ceiling. He was commissioned to paint the Twelve Apostles and a few ornaments on it, but he, who had always considered himself a sculptor, was thus to learn the art of fresco painting and practice it on the vault originally decorated with a starry sky by the fifteenth-century artist Piero Matteo d'Amelia. For six years, between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo was given full freedom of expression by Pope Julius and as he began work on the project, he conceived designs more brilliant for the decoration of the ceiling, painting more than 300 figures on a surface of 13 by 36 meters divided into three parts and eleven transversal sections. The lunettes form the highest part of the walls of the chapel; they are situated above the upper cornice and the frescoes on them are parts of the scheme all depicting selected narrative scenes from the bible. The artist was only 37 years old at the time and had gained world renowned recognition as the greatest living artist. Over 20 years later, in 1536, Michelangelo was summoned back to Rome once again, this time by Pope Clement VII shortly before his death, to create another masterpiece entitled "Il Giudizio Universale" or the "Last Judgement" on the back walls of the Chapel above the altar. It was however, his successor Paul III Farnese, who insisted Michelangelo finish the creation, which took 6 years to do, and takes up a surface of approximately 88 square meters, the largest single fresco of the century.

All contents Copyright © by Hotel Domus Aurelia · All rights reserved · powered by: sestante