7 interesting facts about the Sistine Chapel

On November 1, 1512, the majestic frescoes decorating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Papal Palace of the Vatican were first opened to the public. Written by Michelangelo, one of the three geniuses of the High Italian Renaissance, they remain the greatest produced by Western European painting, which glorifies the world history of art. Every year, 5 million tourists aspire to the Vatican to see the grandiose work of Michelangelo, but not everyone knows these 7 interesting facts about the most popular place of the Vatican.

Michelangelo planned to abandon the work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Still young, but already in demand, Michelangelo considered himself primarily a sculptor. When Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo to do the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the artist worked on a grandiose project of a marble tombstone that he wanted to finish. In addition, Michelangelo had no experience working with monumental painting. However, the persuasive persuasion of the young sculptor's patrons and a good fee convinced him to accept the order.

The artist painted a giant ceiling in a standing position

Among fans of Michelangelo there is an opinion that he wrote his famous frescoes adorning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, lying on the woods. This opinion was fixed and thanks to the feature film about the artist's life of "Flour and Joy". In fact, both the master and his students worked on the paintings standing. Michelangelo himself designed the woods and platforms that allowed him to stand under the ceiling.

Michelangelo wrote a poem about the complexity of work on the chapel

The artist categorically did not like the painting of the ceiling, his impressive size and pressure from the patrons only increased the discontent of the master. In a poem addressed to a friend, Michelangelo described the severity of physical labor and moral dissatisfaction with work. According to him, the work did not cost any money, and the pain and the pain became a reward to the artist. Michelangelo complained of flat feet, poor posture and general fatigue.

The creation of the artist was extremely stable

Since 1512, exactly five centuries have passed, and the frescoes painted by Michelangelo almost did not succumb to the pernicious influence of time. On the ceiling there is only a small element of the composition of the "World Flood", which fell off the ceiling during the explosion of the gunpowder warehouse in 1797. Despite the resilience of the ceiling itself and the frescoes painted on it, experts and restorers worry that the constant flow of tourists provides an unending vibration and badly affects the work of art.

At the end of the XX century, the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel survived a long period of restoration

From 1980 to 1999, experts were engaged in the restoration and "cleaning" of selected frescoes, including the ceiling and another fresco of Michelangelo's work "The Last Judgment", which the artist began to work on in 1537. Restorers removed from the paintings a long raid of dust, soot and grease, resulting in a much brighter color. In the process of restoration, experts got rid of fig leaves, which Pope Pius IV ordered to cover all nude figures in 1560.

On the most popular fresco of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo painted the outlines of the human brain

The most popular fresco of the chapel, as well as one of the most popular images in the world is the "Creation of Adam" - a picture in which God and Adam are depicted half-lying, stretching out their hands, almost touching the index fingers. Some experts put forward the theory that the figure of God and the angels around him resembles the shape of the brain. According to them, Michelangelo with this image sang talent to the first man of reason.

Elections of the Pope are held in the Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel was built in 1470 at the will of Pope Sixtus IV, in whose honor it received its name. Even before the chapel was decorated with famous frescoes, secret meetings of cardinals began to be held in it, including conclaves dedicated to the election of the new Pope. The fireplace of the chapel is directly connected with the pipe, which gives the world the results of the elections. If the conclave comes to a consensus, white smoke comes from the pipe, and if none of the candidates gets more than two-thirds of the vote, then the public sees clouds of black smoke from the outside.