She is one of the wonders of the world, attracting millions of visitors every year. But those who are now in Rome and hope to admire the Sistine Chapel will not be able to see their monumental frescoes of Michelangelo.
“We inform that the Sistine Chapel will be closed to the public from Monday, April 28, 2025, to meet the requirements of the conclave,” says a concise statement on the Vatican museums website.
The conclave, the secret meeting to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church after Pope Francis’ death begins on May 7, but preparations to receive the more than 130 cardinals that should participate take several days.
“Coming so far and not being able to enter one of the main places is very disappointing,” said Leonie Shannon, a 67 -year -old tourist from Australia.
The chapel ceilings are adorned with scenes painted between 1508 and 1512 of the former and New Testament of the Bible. The most famous is “The Creation of Adam,” in which God extends his finger to touch the extended hand of the first man.
Michelangelo also painted the imposing “final judgment” on the wall behind the altar, while other Renaissance artists, such as Botticelli, Perugino and Ghirlandaio, decorated their side walls.
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“This is a really fantastic work of art we studied, so we expected to be able to witness it firsthand,” said Guo Feng, one of the members of a group of art students from China. “It’s really unfortunate that we can’t see her on this trip. It’s a great disappointment for us.”
But many visitors also recognized the extraordinary circumstances that demanded the closure of the most popular part of Vatican’s museums.
“We got a little sad (when) we knew that the sistine chapel was closed, because we wanted to see the ‘creation of (Adam)’, right?” Said Ahmad Mourad, a visitor from Texas, USA. “But we understand the situation and everything.”
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Even without the chapel, Vatican museums contain one of the greatest collections of art, from ancient Roman sculptures to masters of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Van Gogh and Matisse.
“It would have been amazing to see Michelangelo … I mean, it’s impressive. But I think, even so, we liked what we saw. There were still many, many, a lot of rooms we could explore … But yes, we were obviously disappointed,” said Australian Sharyn Davis.
