
The
Sistine Chapel
Built between 1475 and 1483, in the time of Pope Sixtus
IV della Rovere, the Sistine Chapel has originally served
as Palatine Chapel. The chapel is rectangular in shape
and measures 40.93 meters long by 13.41 meters wide, i.e.
the exact dimensions of the Temple of Solomon, as given
in the Old Testament. It is 20.70 meters high and is roofed
by a flattened barrel vault, with little side vaults over
the centered windows.
The architectural plans were made by Baccio Pontelli and
the construction work was supervised by Giovannino de'
Dolci. The first Mass in the Sistine Chapel was celebrated
on August 9, 1483.
The wall paintings were executed by Pietro Perugino, Sandro
Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Cosimo Rosselli, Luca
Signorelli and their respective workshops, which included
Pinturicchio, Piero di Cosimo and Bartolomeo della Gatta.
Michelangelo Buonarroti was commissioned by Pope Julius
II della Rovere in 1508 to repaint the ceiling; the work
was completed between 1508 and 1512. He painted the Last
Judgement over the altar, between 1535 and 1541, being
commissioned by Pope Paul III Farnese.
