The Sistine Chapel is ... The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican

The chapel is a small church, intended for members of the same family, residents of one castle or palace. In Russian, the word "chapel" is sometimes translated as "chapel", but this is not entirely true. There is no altar in the chapels, some church ordinances can not be held there. While the chapel is a full-fledged church with a whole set of attributes. The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is the most famous construction of this type.

History of creation

The Sistine Chapel was built in 1475-1483 on the orders of Pope Sixtus IV, whose name she still wears. This pontiff was a controversial figure. On the one hand, during his reign, corruption and bribery flourished, it was with him that the Inquisition was introduced, and the first public burning of heretics took place .

On the other hand, he was famous for encouraging the development of science and art. He transferred the papal residence to the Vatican City and did much to restore and improve Rome. On his initiative, the library and the world's first public museum were opened, and the Sistine Chapel was built to hold the most significant ceremonies of the Catholic Church. In this place, and now the conclave of clergy is going to be elected for the election of the Pope.

Architectural solution

In the fifteenth century, the powers between the religious and secular government were not completely divided, armed clashes were taking place periodically. And ordinary parishioners, driven to extremes by exorbitantly high taxes, sometimes dared to openly express their anger. In this regard, the Pope wanted to have a special shelter in the Vatican, where they could hide with their court in troubled and troubled times.

Such a refuge at the will of Sixtus IV was the Sistine Chapel. This building from the outside should have the appearance of a fortress, and the interior decorate emphasize the greatness and power of the papal authority.

To solve these problems, a young architect from Florence Giovanni de Dolci was invited. He built a building, resembling a bastion in appearance, and supervised the conduct of internal painting works.

The Sistine Chapel is a relatively small building (its area is only 520 m²), rectangular in shape, with a high (height 21 m) vaulted ceiling. His proportions, according to the plan of Sixtus IV, resemble the proportions of the legendary temple of Solomon, the first Jerusalem temple.

Interior decoration

In 1480, Sixtus IV invited the most famous painters of the time to create paintings. Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Girlondayo, Luca Signorelli, Pietro Perugino and young Pinturicio took part in the work.

It took artists two years to paint the walls of the chapel. The middle tier occupied images of scenes from the life of Moses and Jesus Christ. In the upper tier, in the piers between the windows, were portraits of the first popes, from St. Peter to Marcellus I. The lower tier was traditionally left for posting the regalia of the pontiff.

Above the altar was a fresco of the work of Perugino "The Ascension of the Virgin Mary." The ceiling was decorated with the sky strewn with stars. These elements are known to us only in descriptions, since several decades after the opening of the chapel, they were replaced by frescoes by Michelangelo.

The plafond of the Sistine Chapel of Michelangelo

In the beginning of the 16th century a crack appeared on the canvas of the Sistine Chapel, passing along its entire length. Pope Julius II ordered to cover it and ordered Michelangelo, who was working at the same time above the statues for the future tomb of the pontiff, to cover the ceiling with frescoes.

Michelagelo Buonarroti, born in the year of the Sistine Chapel (1475), in 1508 was already quite a famous sculptor. But the monumental painting was for him an unfamiliar business. He tried in every possible way to evade this work, but Julius II managed to insist on his own. Thus, the famous Sistine Chapel received its completed form. Description, the history of creating frescoes have been the subject of research of many generations of art historians.

The central part of the plafond is occupied by 9 successive stories of the Old Testament, among them the "Flood", "The Fall", scenes of the creation of the first people (Adam and Eve) and others. On the perimeter of these frescoes, the author depicted the prophets and the Sibyl, and on the side of the arch, the forerunners of Jesus Christ. In total, more than 300 characters were depicted, which today are conquered by their power and physical beauty.

Researchers still can not come to an unambiguous interpretation of these images. Some see a special interpretation of the Bible in them, others a new interpretation of the heroes of the Dantean "Divine Comedy," while others believe that Michelangelo presented the stages of man's ascension from the sinful primitive state to the stage of Titanism and divine perfection.

Fresco "The Last Judgment"

22 years later, Michelangelo was again invited to work on the design of the Sistine Chapel. In 1534, Pope Clement VII ordered him to paint a wall above the altar. As a result, the fresco "The Last Judgment" was created, which critics call one of the most grandiose in the history of world painting.

This time the artist portrayed a man weak and helpless in the face of imminent disaster. From the old belief in the greatness and beauty of people there is no trace. In the scene of the "Last Judgment" there is not a single life-affirming or admiring character.

Jesus himself is in the center. But his face is formidable and impenetrable. His hands froze in a punishing gesture. The faces of the apostles surrounding Christ on all sides are also filled with anger. In their hands, they hold instruments of torture, which do not bode well for the sinners who have fled before them.

Late painting and restoration works

Sistine Chapel - this is the greatest monument of monumental painting of the Renaissance. But later amendments and drawings are important historical evidence.

The scene of the "Last Judgment" with dozens of naked bodies from the very beginning was ambiguously received by the clergymen. It is known that Pope Paul IV ordered the disciple of Michelagelo - de Volterra to cover the intimate places of the depicted figures with draperies, and Clement VIII ordered the destruction of the mural altogether. It was possible to save her only thanks to the intercession of artists. Attempts to draw clothes were also made in the XVII-XVIII centuries.

As a result, when a group of specialists began restoration work at the end of the 20th century , they faced a serious problem - which version of the painting should be restored. It was decided to leave the draperies painted by de Voltaire at the end of the 16th century, and remove the remaining edits.

After cleaning the frescoes from soot and dust, they again shone bright colors. This made it possible to see the images in the form in which they were written by the great masters of the Renaissance.

Answering the question what is a chapel, it should be mentioned that this word is used not only to denote a religious structure. The chapel is a place in the cathedral where there are singers, a musical or singing ensemble performing spiritual music, or even a professional musical institution, such as the Academic Chapel (St. Petersburg, Moika embankment, 20).