Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is located inside the Vatican, and if you stand at the Saint Peter’s Square and look towards the St. Peters Basilica you will have the Sistine Chapel by your right hand. The Sistine Chapel is first of all known for two things:

1) In this chapel the beautiful roof created by Michelangelo can be seen and enjoyed. This is often considered to be his main work in life, so if you are a Michelangelo fan this is something you simply have to see. The paintings show scenes from the Bible and all point to the arrival of the promised Messiah. The most famous is the picture of the creation of Adam, a picture often seen on postcards and similar effects dealing with the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. The entire work of Michelangelo was made between 1508 and 1512.

2) The Sistine Chapel is the location where the Catholic leaders/priests/bishops meet every time a new Pope is selected (papal conclave). They do the voting in here, and if they do not manage to agree on one pope, black smoke will come out from the chimney. When they finally agree on a new pope white smoke will come out of the chimney.

Sistine Chapel in Rome