Sistine Chapel - a huge and world-famous chapel in the Vatican Palace (aka - Apostolic Palace), the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican .  Chapel was designed by Baccio Pontelli in the years 1473-1481 and originally was called the Capella Magna, and then was renamed in honor of Pope Sixtus IV, who ordered it was restored later .  Today, this is where the conclave is held - Meeting of the Cardinals, which elected a new Pope .  In addition, the chapel is famous for its frescoes, especially those that adorn its vaults - a masterpiece by Michelangelo .  Most of the frescoes depicting the life of Moses and Christ, was created at the end of the 15th century command painters of the Renaissance - Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Roselli .  And in 1483 in the Sistine Chapel was held the first Mass in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary .  In the years 1508-1512 under the patronage of Pope Julius II on the vaults of the chapel painted by Michelangelo worked, which was destined to create a masterpiece that changed all of Western art .  Here the great master in the years 1535-1541 painted "Judgment Day" . 

The Sistine Chapel is a high rectangular structure, the interior of which has the dimensions of Solomon's Temple according to the Old Testament (40, 9 meters long and 13 meters wide, 4). The appearance of the chapel is no different to any decorations or special architectural elements that, in general, is characteristic of the Italian churches of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It has no facade and because the entrance to the chapel is made of rooms Palais des Papes. The building itself is divided into three levels, the lower of which is a very high ground floor with multiple windows and a doorway leading to the courtyard. The following is the main room, in fact, the Sistine Chapel, which reaches a height of 20 arches, 7 m. Here you can see six high arched windows. And above the firmament located guardroom for the guards.

The cylindrical body of the chapel was originally painted blue and decorated with golden stars on a draft Permatteo Lauro de Manfredi da Amelia. Paul is decorated in the style of cosmatesque with marble and colored stone. Carved screens are also made of marble (architects Mino da Fiesole, Andrea Brenna and Giovanni Dalmata) and divides the chapel into two parts. Screen surmounted by candelabra close, once gilded.

As mentioned above, over the vaults of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo worked. There he painted The Creation of God, God's relationship with man and the fall of man before God. Here you can see the 12 biblical figures of men and women, who had predicted that God would send Jesus Christ to die for the salvation of mankind. Dimensions painted set up about 40 m long and 13 m wide, which means that the total area exceeds 500 square meters fresco! It should be noted fairly well-known fact - Michelangelo painted murals supine on his own engineered woods.