The Sistine Chapel is the chapel of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, the official residence of the pope, and the place where the cardinals gather to elect a new pope. It was built on the orders of Pope Sixtus IV, after whom it is named, with work beginning in 1473, and it was consecrated in 1483. Its walls were first decorated by Renaissance painters including Botticelli, Perugino and Ghirlandaio. Under Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted the ceiling between 1508 and 1512, with scenes from the Book of Genesis, and he later painted the Last Judgment on the altar wall. The chapel is one of the great masterpieces of Western art and is visited by millions of people each year.
Before and after
- 12 March 1470Battle of Losecoat Field
- from 10 July 1470 to 5 August 1470Siege of Negroponte
- 21 May 1471Birth of Albrecht Dürer
- 1472Founding of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
- 1473Construction of Sistine Chapel
- c. 1473William Caxton prints the first book in English
- 19 February 1473Birth of Nicolaus Copernicus
- from c. 1470s to 1620sThe Ming dynasty rebuilds the Great Wall in brick and stone
- from 1475 to 1479War of the Castilian Succession
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 618 CE to 907 CETang dynasty
- 637 CEConstruction of Potala Palace
- from 750 CE to 1258Abbasid Caliphate
- 778 CEConstruction of Kiyomizu-dera
- 1070Construction of Windsor Castle
- 1460Construction of Topkapı Palace
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 15th century.