The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and 1481. Since that time, it has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. Today, it is the site of the papal conclave, the process by which a new pope is selected. The chapel's fame lies mainly in the frescoes that decorate its interior, most particularly the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment, both by Michelangelo.
East side of the Chapel, from the altar end
The Sistine Chapel as it may have appeared in the 15th century (19th-century drawing)
Exterior of the Sistine Chapel
A reconstruction of the appearance of the west Wall chapel in the 1480s, prior to the painting of the ceiling
The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and the Vatican Palace. The Vatican itself refers to the building as the Palace of Sixtus V, in honor of Pope Sixtus V, who built most of the present form of the palace.
A view of the Papal Apartments from Saint Peter's Square
The Portone di Bronzo at the Vatican Apostolic Palace entrance
A model of the palace in the Vatican Museums. The buildings are arranged around a central courtyard.
Under the patronage of Julius II, Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512.
