- Jose Kevo
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 11
- Reviews
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20
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Editor Pick
A Walk Through Catholicism
- October 16, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Absy_Baby from Radlett, United Kingdom
The Sistine Chapel was commissioned in 1475 by Pope Sixtus IV and this is where the name comes from too. It was designed for the Pope, as his chapel and is still used as today. The Papal elections also take place within the walls of the Sistine Chapel, and the important ritual of Conclave.
The entrance to the Sistine Chapel is not visible from the front (or what I call the front - St Peter's Square) you must walk round the walled state going right.
I would say the entrance is virtually half way round the entire state (so directly half way from the entrance at St Peters). I would call this the back. The entrance is quite large and seems purpose built for tourists. It is labelled Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums.
After queuing for 20 minutes we entered and queued to pay for our tickets. This cost 7 Euro's per adult.
Walking to the Sistine Chapel is quite far as you have to walk through many passages that include the Tapestry Gallery, this is great and you feel like you're getting your money's worth BUT I do find 20 corridors of very similar things boring (or dragged out), I mean yes the paintings and tapestries are amazing and intricately made or painted but really I've seen 100. I also know being human is to want to be 'top dog' but some of the stuff was disturbing, I know people have fought through the ages but paintings of grown men stealing and stabbing babies from women - is that art? Not in my book, I don't like looking at things like this, no matter who painted it.
After reading Angels and Demons I actually knew a fair bit more about the Sistine Chapel than my other half, we both had previously heard of it and he knew the paintings of Michelangelo were what made it famous, although I just assumed it was another holy room. I was not aware that this is the room where conclave took place and each new Pope was elected.
The Sistine Chapel is amazing and home to the famous painting of the twelve apostles by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, commissioned by Pope Julius II. Originally the ceiling was painted by Piero Matteo d'Amelia. Michelangelo was not happy about having to paint, he considered himself a sculpture and was working on the Popes tomb at the time. Lucky he did really take the opportunity to paint as it has ironically become his most famous piece. There are over 300 people in the work of art. Although this is one of the most spectacular pieces of art in the world today, Michelangelo suffered after 4 years of painting Michelangelo's eye sight was permanently damaged. This makes you really appreciate what it must have been like, stuck in the Sistine Chapel for 4 years, in dark, cramped conditions.
There are many tapestries and paintings to look out and it is a lot to take in.
Michelangelo was also asked back by Pope Clement IIV in 1534 to paint the Last Judgment on the alter wall. There are also tapestries on the walls designed by Raphael (for all you Angels and Demons fans), woven in Brussels in 1515-1519 then taken to the Vatican.
In the Sistine Chapel you are not supposed to talk (which is fine, except people do and the guards or workers shout at them to shut up) this completely ruins the atmosphere and totally lacks respect.
You are NOT allowed to take photos in here (and this is what gets me - why when told you are not allowed a picture, 10 people feel the urge to in fact defy the rules and take one?) This really annoys me as a tourism student I have learned a lot about preservation of these attractions and the reason you are not to take photo's is to preserve it, photo flashes very often affect paintings and colours so don't ruin it for the next generation by being selfish, if you want a picture in your album - google it and get an image. Rant over.
The Sistine Chapel is a must when visiting Rome and the Vatican, it isn't expensive, it's just a shame about the number of tourists, especially with all the corridors leading to the Sistine Chapel, you would think they would stagger entries. When I was in the Sistine Chapel it was over-crowded and ruined the experience a bit. I was more worried about treading on peoples toes than being able to fully appreciate the ceiling.
From journal When In Room
Editor Pick
A Walk Through Catholocism
- August 27, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Absy_Baby from Radlett, United Kingdom
The Sistine Chapel was commissioned in 1475 by Pope Sixtus IV and this is where the name comes from too. It was designed for the Pope, as his chapel and is still used as today. The Papal elections also take place within the walls of the Sistine Chapel, and the important ritual of Conclave.
The entrance to the Sistine Chapel is not visible from the front (or what I call the front - St Peter's Square) you must walk round the walled state going right.
I would say the entrance is virtually half way round the entire state (so directly half way from the entrance at St Peters). I would call this the back. The entrance is quite large and seems purpose built for tourists. It is labelled Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums.
After queuing for 20 minutes we entered and queued to pay for our tickets. This cost 7 Euro's per adult.
Walking to the Sistine Chapel is quite far as you have to walk through many passages that include the Tapestry Gallery, this is great and you feel like you're getting your money's worth BUT I do find 20 corridors of very similar things boring (or dragged out), I mean yes the paintings and tapestries are amazing and intricately made or painted but really I've seen 100. I also know being human is to want to be 'top dog' but some of the stuff was disturbing, I know people have fought through the ages but paintings of grown men stealing and stabbing babies from women - is that art? Not in my book, I don't like looking at things like this, no matter who painted it.
After reading Angels and Demons I actually knew a fair bit more about the Sistine Chapel than my other half, we both had previously heard of it and he knew the paintings of Michelangelo were what made it famous, although I just assumed it was another holy room. I was not aware that this is the room where conclave took place and each new Pope was elected.
The Sistine Chapel is amazing and home to the famous painting of the twelve apostles by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, commissioned by Pope Julius II. Originally the ceiling was painted by Piero Matteo d'Amelia. Michelangelo was not happy about having to paint, he considered himself a sculpture and was working on the Popes tomb at the time. Lucky he did really take the opportunity to paint as it has ironically become his most famous piece. There are over 300 people in the work of art. Although this is one of the most spectacular pieces of art in the world today, Michelangelo suffered after 4 years of painting Michelangelo's eye sight was permanently damaged. This makes you really appreciate what it must have been like, stuck in the Sistine Chapel for 4 years, in dark, cramped conditions.
There are many tapestries and paintings to look out and it is a lot to take in.
Michelangelo was also asked back by Pope Clement IIV in 1534 to paint the Last Judgment on the alter wall. There are also tapestries on the walls designed by Raphael (for all you Angels and Demons fans), woven in Brussels in 1515-1519 then taken to the Vatican.
In the Sistine Chapel you are not supposed to talk (which is fine, except people do and the guards or workers shout at them to shut up) this completely ruins the atmosphere and totally lacks respect.
You are NOT allowed to take photos in here (and this is what gets me - why when told you are not allowed a picture, 10 people feel the urge to in fact defy the rules and take one?) This really annoys me as a tourism student I have learned a lot about preservation of these attractions and the reason you are not to take photo's is to preserve it, photo flashes very often affect paintings and colours so don't ruin it for the next generation by being selfish, if you want a picture in your album - google it and get an image. Rant over.
The Sistine Chapel is a must when visiting Rome and the Vatican, it isn't expensive, it's just a shame about the number of tourists, especially with all the corridors leading to the Sistine Chapel, you would think they would stagger entries. When I was in the Sistine Chapel it was over-crowded and ruined the experience a bit. I was more worried about treading on peoples toes than being able to fully appreciate the ceiling.
Editor Pick
A Beautiful Experience
- January 20, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
Finally I have come to the last description in my review - this is the big one! This chapel must be one of the most visited chapels in the world. It stands in the south west section of the Apostolic Palace. Entrance to the chapel is through a small door at the back of the chapel on the right behind the altar. Photographs are not allowed so I advise you to buy a guide book although it didn't stop people from trying to take photographs with their mobile phones.
Apart from being astonished by all the great art work I was surprised that it was so small. It had an eerie feel to it and I felt like I wanted to cry and the hairs on my neck were all prickly. It was an amazing experience and one that should be respected. I was very cross because people never know when to be quiet and people were constantly talking amongst themselves or even on their mobile phones. Every now and again a voice from the loud speaker would say, please be quiet and then guides would walk around telling you to Shush! I couldn't comprehend how people could stand in such a beautiful place of worship and have no respect.
The Last Judgement which is meant to be Michelangelo's masterpiece stands behind the altar. This fresco took 450 days to complete and he was over sixty years old when he started.
The ceiling represents the history of man before the arrival of Christ. In the nine panels Michelangelo has tried to illustrate events from Genesis and the corner spandrels(space between to arches) contain pictures of how Israel was saved.
On the south wall there are other frescoes depicting events of Moses' life. We all remember The Crossing of the Red Sea - an event from the Old Testament.
Finally on the north wall you will see the baptism of Christ and Temptations of Christ.
Again I was amazed by the brilliance of the colours used but I believe restoration work on Michelangelo's frescoes was carried out between 1981 and 1993. That could be one reason why they looked so illuminated but taking that into account it doesn't take anything away from the splendour of the man's work. He was an absolute genius.
I found the whole experience of this visit to Vatican City and the museums exhausting. I have never seen such beauty and the Sistine Chapel was definitely an eye opener. I felt such waves of emotion of seeing the great man's work. It was too much for me.
Having said all that I was also quite shocked at the amount of wealth and treasures that exist in the Vatican and you have to remember that there will be more hidden away in vaults somewhere. In my opinion it seems wrong that the church should have so much wealth when there is so much poverty in the world but perhaps that is a topic for dooyoo to discuss. For now, I will conclude by saying that for a combination of good and bad reasons, it was a totally overwhelming experience. Too much! For all the beauty I will give it 5 stars.
From journal A Tour of the Holy City and Museums
Editor Pick
Spiritual Experience of a Lifetime...Sistine Chapel
- January 6, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
anitaellen83 from Dallas, Texas
When we got to Rome, we found out that our hotel is one block away from the Vatican. So, with a little fast action, Julie and I decided to race over there to try to get into the museum before it closed tonight. We got to the ticket office at 3:15 and the office closed at 3:20. In the museum we saw all these busts of ancient Romans. I saw Laocoon, Diana, and a bunch of Emperors.
We got into the Sistine chapel too. It was amazing. Even in the darkness of the room you could tell how magnificent the colors were. It’s amazing how most of these places you can go into, not know the story of the Bible, but see it illustrated in all these cathedrals. I was excited about finally seeing in real life the famous outreached fingers. The weird part was the flayed body that Julie said is rumored to be Michelangelo’s self portrait.
After that, we ventured into San Pietro’s Basilica. It was GIGANTIC. And I mean, overwhelming. I personally have become accustomed to the inside of churches, Italian basilicas to be exact, and I was thoroughly impressed. That’s where they keep Michelangelo’s pieta. The dome on the inside was all glittery golden. It was impressive. And the canopy was amazing in the center in front of the altar.
From journal Five Weeks Studying and Touring in Italy
Editor Pick
Sistine Chapel
- August 23, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
paigey121 from Los Altos, California
With only two nights in Rome, I had to geographically plan which sights to see and on which day. I was reading articles from the local newspapers saying that the lines for the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel were so long and that the hours were too short for the number of people visiting the sacred site.
I looked on the Vatican's own website, http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html, and found it easy to navigate. I looked at the calendar on the site and saw it was to be closed for Ascension Thursday - the day I originally wanted to go. So I changed plans and also made a back up plan.
Back up: I made a reservation for a guided tour given by the Vatican Museum themselves, not an outside group. I booked it via FAX (http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Info/MV_Info_Servizi_Visite.html). They did not respond for a few weeks, but they did fax back a confirmation number and time of tour (3 tours/day). This reservation required no deposit and would have allowed us to skip the line and go right up to the window.
Also before the trip, I read that a great time to go the the Sistine Chapel is between 2-3pm. The three of us took a cab to the entrance and walked right in - no line - around 230pm. We had a guidebook of our own (Rick Steves) and did not rent the audio guides because one has to walk all the way back to the ticketing area to return the headphones after viewing the Sistine Chapel, which is at the end of the Vatican Museum.
Instead, we followed the sign marked "Tour Groups only" in the far right back corner of the Sistine Chapel. We followed the crowds directly into St. Peter's Basilica around 4:30pm. Mass started around 5pm and we watched the procession that was lit up by the wonderful light beams through the basilica's dome.
The timing of it all was perfect. I had been before and the Chapel can have you packed in like sardines. A lot of people, including tour groups, try to get it done first thing in the morning and end up waiting 1-2 hours before even setting foot inside. With a little research, you can save a lot of time and have that time to putz around carefree in Rome.
From journal Italy: Rome to Venice and In-between in 15 Days