Found at the heart of the Vatican, the Sistine chapel was consecrated on the Solemnity of the Assumption 500 years ago. Named after Pope Sixtus IV, he dedicated the chapel in 1483.
However, the Sistine Chapel would not be completely finished until 1512 after Michelangelo added some of his most renowned work, including the “Creation of Adam” and “the Last Judgement,” which the artist connected in a unique way.
“Michelangelo had a specific theological reasoning behind the nudity. Being the Last Judgement, man’s nudity is just as when he came into the world during creation,” said art expert Guido Cornini.
“It thus ties in together with man’s creation represented by the famous meeting of the hands.”
These famous frescoes line the walls and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and are the backdrop for many important events in this papal chapel. From baptisms, to Masses with the pope, and serving as the room where cardinals from around the world gather to elect a new pope.
And in the centre of this chapel is the Last Judgement piece, where Mary has a central place. This is a stark reminder of her ties to the Sistine Chapel that date all the way back to its dedication on 15 August, 1483.