Cappella Paolina
The Cappella Paolina (the Pauline Chapel) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City. It is separated from the Sistine Chapel by the Sala Regia. It is not on any of the regular tourist itineraries.
Michelangelo's two frescoes in the Cappella Paolina,
An Italian scholar has recognised Michelangelo's face both in the Saint Paul and Saint Peter paintings by facial superimposition.[2][3]
Building and decoration
The chapel was commissioned in 1538 by the order of Pope Paul III and completed in 1540 under the design and supervision of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. The Cappella Paolina served as both the Chapel of the Sacrament and the Chapel of the Conclave. Paul III dedicated the chapel to the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, a festival to which he displayed particular devotion.
Given the ceremonial and personal significance of the chapel, it was to be expected that the Pope would require the services of a great artist for its decoration, and, in the opinion of both the Papacy and the people, there was no one greater than Michelangelo.[4]
Even before the unveiling of Michelangelo's
S. J. Freedberg notes that the two frescos in the Cappella Paolina, Michelangelo's last paintings, begun in November 1542, almost immediately after the Last Judgement, show from the start a major change in style, away from grace and aesthetic effect to an exclusive concern with illustrating the narrative, with no regard for beauty.[6]
Other paintings in the chapel are by Lorenzo Sabbatini and Federico Zuccari. The statues in the background are by P. Bresciano.
Use by papal conclave
Before the opening of a
In 1549 and 1550, the Cappella Paolina was used for the
The 1996 document
Restoration
In 2004, the Vatican announced plans to restore the frescoes in Cappella Paolina. Work was completed in 2009, revealing bright colors and hues that had been dulled by centuries of dirt and grime.
Virtual reality presentation
In 2010, the Vatican website released a virtual reality rendered version of the Cappella Paolina. It presents the chapel in part 3D rendering and part high-resolution photography, unquestionably made after the 2009 restoration. This can be seen at https://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/paolina_vr/.
Other Cappelle Paoline
Two other chapels with the same name are in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore and in the Quirinal Palace, both in Rome.
See also
- Index of Vatican City-related articles
References
- ^ Leo Steinberg, Michelangelo's Last Paintings: The Conversion of St Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter in the Cappella Paolina, Vatican Palace (New York: Oxford University Press, 1975), 17.
- ^ Sandro Giometti "Michelangelo, Displaying the Invisible" TAU pub.er Todi 2018
- ^ 'Michelangelo self-portrait' discovered in restored Vatican fresco, The Times, 2 July 2009.
- ^ Leo Steinberg, Michelangelo's Last Paintings: The Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter in the Cappella Paolina, Vatican Palace (New York: Oxford University Press, 1975), 15-16.
- ^ D. Redig de Campos, Michelangelo: The Frescoes of the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican (Milan: Art Editions Amilcare Pizzi, 1951), 6.
- ^ Freedberg, 475-477
- ^ "Universi Dominici Gregis Chapter III Section 50. English text". Vatican.va. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ a b "The restoration of the Pauline Chapel". Vatican Museums. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "Notificazione: Ingresso in Conclave (Notice: Entrance into Conclave)" (in Italian). Vatican.va. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ Procession and entrance in Conclave (Television production) (in Italian). Rome: Centro Televisivo Vaticano. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- ^ Non-voting participants in conclave take oath of secrecy (Television production) (in Italian and English). Rome: Rome Reports. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ Conclave oath of secrecy (Television production) (in Italian). Rome: Catholic News Service. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ "Notificazione Giuramento degli Officiali e addetti al Conclave (Oath of the Officials and the Employees at the Conclave)" (in Italian). Vatican.va. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
Sources
- ISBN 0300055870
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "The Vatican". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
External links
- The Vatican: spirit and art of Christian Rome, a book from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Cappella Paolina (pp. 128–132)