The Sistine Chapel

By this point it was after 12:00 p.m. and I had missed the last mass of the morning. I was disappointed, but it would have been difficult to leave the museums and come back and I wanted to see the Sistine Chapel. Plus it just gives me a reason to come back someday.

We were nearing the Sistine Chapel we had to go up these stairs.

Again just another simple staircase. At the tops of the stairs was another great sign.
No cameras, no video cameras, be quiet, and fall down the stairs.

At the top of the stairs there was a hall were we had to wait in line to get into the chapel. While we were in line, a tour was past in the other direction, as the tour guide went by I heard him say “Have you ever heard of a man named Martin Luther?” I am sure I laughed out loud – that was the last things I ever expected to hear outside the Sistine Chapel.

We did not have to wait very long and we were to the door.

Now the Sistine Chapel is the best known Chapel in the Vatican (maybe in the world) and everyone is familiar with Michelangelo painting it on scaffolding over a number of years.

Sistine Chapel is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. It is famous for its architecture, evocative of Solomon's Temple of the Old Testament, and its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, and Sandro Botticelli. Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. He resented the commission, and believed his work only served the Pope's need for grandeur. However, today the ceiling, and especially The Last Judgement, are widely believed to be Michelangelo's crowning achievements in painting.


I was very excited to see the Sistine, but once I walked in the door, I have to admit I was a bit under whelmed. The Chapel was much smaller than I expected and just not as grandiose as I had thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, the artwork is amazing and the ceiling is unbelievable, just not what I had expected. While we were in the chapel it was pretty crowded and there was not a lot of room to move around, so we did not stay very long.

Unbeknownst to me while we were in the Sistine Chapel Shannon snuck her camera out and took some pictures of the ceiling. The thought to take pictures never even crossed my mind…. But here they are.

This one includes part of the last judgment.

Evidently I am the only person who did not think to take pictures; friends from the ship also took one. They have a great camera and the picture really turned out.