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Michelangelo, 1508-1512
Current Location: Sistine Chapel, The Vatican

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23 Interesting Tidbits about the Sistine Chapel

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23 Interesting Tidbits about the Sistine Chapel

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The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the most famous frescoes in the world and unsurprisingly itâ€™s one of Romeâ€™s most visited and valued historic sites. Set within the Vatican City and Museums, the Sistine Chapel welcomes around 25,000 visitors a day who flock to see Michelangeloâ€™s masterpiece and marvel at the feat of artistry. As cameras are banned, itâ€™s one to make sure you donâ€™t forget!

Here are 23 fascinating facts about the Sistine Chapel to peak your interest, test your trivia knowledge and to give you all the more reason to go and visit this stunning attraction.

1 The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who commissioned the chapelâ€™s construction on the foundations of the original Capella Magna in 1477.

2 It was Pope Sixtus IV who invested money into building the chapel and some draw similarities between its new layout and that of the Temple of Solomon described in the Old Testament.

3 Before Michelangelo started on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508, it had been decorated with a fresco of a blue night sky with golden stars, painted by the Umbrian artist Piero Matteo dâ€™Amelia.

5 Michelangelo hated painting the ceiling so much that in 1509 he even wrote a poem lamenting to his friend Giovanni da Pistoia how heâ€™d "grown a goiter from this torture," due to the physical strain of the work.

8 Donâ€™t be fooled into thinking the only works of art on show in the Sistine Chapel are those by Michelangelo. You can also see frescoes and works by Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pietro Perugino, Cosimo Roselli and Sandro Botticelli on the walls.

10 The God Michelangelo painted as an older man with flowing gray hair inspired centuries of Christian paintings to come, later turning it into the archetypal representation of all Godly figures around the world.

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23 Interesting Facts About the Sistine Chapel

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The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the most famous frescoes in the world and unsurprisingly itâ€™s one of Romeâ€™s most visited and valued historic sites. Set within the Vatican City and Museums, the Sistine Chapel welcomes around 25,000 visitors a day who flock to see Michelangeloâ€™s masterpiece and marvel at the feat of artistry.

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Learn more about the Sistine Chapel Here

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Learn more about the Sistine Chapel Here

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Khan Academy

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Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel ceiling, 1508-12 (Vatican)

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Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel ceiling, 1508-12 (Vatican) More free lessons at: http://www.khanacademy.org/video?v=PEE3B8Fsuc0 Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris & Dr. Steven Zucker