Cappella Sistina
From Churches of Rome Wiki
- There are also several chapels of the same name within churches, see Cappella Sistina (disambiguation)
| Cappella Sistina | |
|---|---|
| | |
| English name: | Sistine Chapel |
| Dedication: | |
| Denomination: | Roman Catholic |
| Type: | Papal chapel |
| Built: | 1473–1477 |
| Architect(s): | Giovannino dei Dolci(?) |
| Artists: | Michelangelo et.al. |
| Contact data | |
| Address: | Vatican City |
The Cappella Sistina is a papal chapel in the Vatican City, named after its founder, Pope Sixtus IV. It is known both for its decorations by Michelangelo and for being the place where papal conclaves (elections) are held.
Contents |
[edit] History
Sixtus IV had it built 1473-1477. The architect was probably Giovannino dei Dolci. It was Michelangelo's patron Pope Julius II (1503–1513) who ordered the artist to decorate the ceiling. At first, Michelangelo refused, as he considered himself a sculptor, not a painter. He suggested that Raphael should do the work instead. But the pontiff pressured him into accepting the task, and on 27 July, 1508, he climbed the scaffold for the first time. Michelangelo spent the next four years on his back, and it is said that for a long time afterwards he could not read a letter unless he held it above his head.
Michelangelo returned in 1536 to paint his Judgment Day, on orders from Pope Paul III (1534–1549). Few artists have made such a large piece with so many elements on their own. He spent five years working on it, and it was first revealed on All Souls' Day 1541. The Holy Father fell to his knees in admiration. However, there were also critics such as Aretino, who especially complained about the nudity. In 1564, the Council of Trent condemned nudity in religious art, and a painter was hired to clothe the figures.
The paintings have been restored in the 20th century. There has been a lot of criticism against the process, mainly because the colours have become so bright. Many have voiced the opinion that they were never that bright, and that the paintings have now been destroyed. However, the paintings have been covered with soot, dust and at one point glue intended to fix the pigments, and it was this dirt that was removed in the restoration so that the original colours would be revealed. Chemical analysis of the pigments show that the artists used bright colours; the commonly held opinion that Medieval and Renaissance art used dark and gloomy colours is a result of what we are used to seeing - pigments covered by dirt - and not true knowledge about what they originally looked like.
When a conclave, or papal election, is to take place, the Conclave is assembled in the Sistine Chapel, and it is sealed of from the outside world until a new pontiff has been elected.
[edit] Floor
The floor is Cosmatesque, and was made in the reign of Pope Nicholas V (1447–1455); thus it pre-dates the rest of the chapel.
[edit] Screen and gallery
The marble screen and gallery are the works of Andrea Bregno, Mino da Fiesole and Giovanni Dalmata.
The coat-of-arms show the oak tree of the della Rovere family (della Rovere = of the Oak), the family of Pope Sixtus IV.
[edit] Side walls
The side walls were decorated by a number of artists. On the left side, the subject is the life of Moses; on the right side, the life of Christ. As the mosaics in San Giovanni in Laterano, they point out parallels between the Old and New Testaments. The subjects and artists are as follows, starting at the wall behind the altar (that is, by Michelangelo's Judgment Day):
| Subject | Biblical reference | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| The infant Moses found on the Nile Bank[1] | Ex 2, 5ff. | |
| The Nativity of Christ[1] | Mt 1, 18ff.; Lk 2, 1-19 | |
| Moses returning to Egypt with wife and child | Perugino | Ex 4, 18 ff. |
| The Baptism of Jesus | Perugino | Mt 3, 13-17; Mk 1, 9-11; Lk 3, 21-22 |
| Moses killing the harsh Egyptian and driving away the shepherds in Arabia | Botticelli | Ex 2, 11 ff. |
| The Temptation of Christ | Botticelli | Mt 4,1-11; Mk 1, 12-13; Lk 4, 1-13 |
| The Crossing of the Red Sea | Cosimo Roselli | Ex 14, 15.ff |
| The Calling of Peter and Andrew | Ghirlandio | Mt 4, 18-20, Mk 1, 16-18 |
| Moses receiving the Law on Sinai | Cosimo Roselli | Ex 19, 16.ff |
| The Sermon on the Mount | Cosimo Roselli & Piero di Cosimo | Mt 5-7 |
| The punishment of the presumptious Levites | Botticelli | Ex 32 |
| The Delivery of the Keys to Peter | Perugino | Mt 16, 18-19 |
| The Testament and the Death of Moses | Signorelli | Dt 31-34 |
| The Last Supper | Cosimo Roselli | Mt 26, 17-29; Mk 14, 12-25; Lk 22, 7-38; Jn 13, 1-30 |
| The Disputation over the body of Moses | Matteo da Lecce | Dt 34 |
| The Resurrection | Arrigo Paludano | Mt 28; Mk 16; Lk 24; Jn 20-21 |
Above these panels are the portraits of 24 popes from the period 76-268.
[edit] Judgment Day
At the top are angels with instruments of the Passion of Christ (the Cross, the Crown of Thorns, the Pillar of Scourging), reminding us that the possibility of salvation comes through Christ's sacrifice.
In the centre, Christ is portrayed as a perfect man in true Renaissance style. Michelangelo's idea is that He must be portrayed as a perfect man, just as faith accepts him as God, the very definition of perfection.
Next to Christ, Blessed Virgin Mary is seated. Many of the saints and martyrs are easily identifiable through their attributes. Just below the Madonna, we find St Lawrence the Deacon (gridiron). To the left is St Andrew (cross) and St John the Baptist (dressed in camel skin). To the left of this group of martyrs is a woman with exposed breasts, to whom another woman is clinging; she is a personification of Maternity. On the right side we find St Paul (red mantle), St Peter (keys), St Bartholomew (flaying knife and his skin), St Simon (saw), The Penitent Thief (cross), St Blaise (woolcarder's comb), St Catherine of Alexandria (executioner's wheel), St Sebastian (arrows) and St Simon of Cyrene (cross). Horrible as it is, you should take a look at the skin of St Bartholomew - the face is a self portrait of Michelangelo.
In the centre below Christ are angels with trumpets, calling the dead to resurrection. They hold two books, the Book of Good Deeds on the left, and the Book of Evil Deeds on the right. The angel holding the latter is clearly distraught.
On the left of these angels we see the Blessed Souls ascending to Heaven, and below that the Resurrection of the Dead.
On the other side we see the damned sould dragged into Hell - the Mouth of Hell is at the bottom, in the centre. In the boat is Charon, the mythical ferryman taking the lost souls across the river. Another mythical figure is Minos, found in the bottom right corner. He has not only a serpentine tail and the ears of an ass, but also happens to have the features of Biagio da Cesena, who criticized Michelangelo.
[edit] Ceiling
Michelangelo's paintings in the ceiling depicts Creation as described in Genesis, as well as other scenes from the Bible.
In the center is one of the most famous works of art ever made, the Creation of Man. In this scene, Michelangelo managed to to depict the power of God who needs only to extend his finger to give life, to create a species, while at the same time illustrating the closeness between God and man before the Fall of Man.
The scenes are, from the altar wall:
- The Separation of Light from Darkness (Gen 1, 3-5)
- The Creation of Sun, Moon and Planets (Gen 1, 6-8)
- The Separation of Land from Water (Gen 1, 9-10)
- The Creation of Man (Gen 1, 26-27)
- The Creation of Woman IGen 1, 26-27)
- The Fall (Gen 3)
- The Sacrifice of Noah (Gen 6, 5ff.)
- The Deluge (Gen 6, 5ff.
- The Drunkenness of Noah (Gen 9, 20-27)
The other paintings in the ceiling who prophets and sibyls, reminding the viewer of the Coming of Christ the Redeemer.
[edit] Visits to the chapel
The chapel is visited through the Vatican Museums. You will invariably find the chapel crowded by tourists. The best way to see it is to go to the Vatican Museums early, so that you're among the first in line when they open. In the museum, there are several recommended routes, one of which will take you directly to the chapel. If seeing the chapel with as few people around you is a priority, walk briskly along this route and save the museum for another day - you should then be able to get there ahead of the worst crowds. This is about the only way in which you can enjoy the beautiful floor.
Remember that the chapel is consecrated, and silence should be observed. You will be reminded of this from loudspeakers on your way there and in the chapel (it's a common feature of Italian churches that the word silenzio is shouted out loudly quite often, one of those little inconsistencies that makes life more interesting), but sadly many choose to ignore this. Please set an example and be silent in the chapel.
Photography is not permitted in the chapel. As part of the sponsoring deal for the restoration, this includes all use of photographic equipment, including non-flash photos and video cameras. A lot of people break this rule, but note that you may be led out by a guard before you have had a chance to see the whole chapel if you do so.
The Sistine Chapel is included in the virtual tour on the Vatican Museums website.
[edit] External links
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