"The Last Judgment" covers
the wall behind the altar.

Pardon the blurriness of
some of these photos.

Botticelli, Signorelli, and other masters painted the walls in the 1480's.

Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor, not a painter, and
took the job reluctantly.

the floor of the chapel

The wrinkled human skin being
held by St. Bartholomew bears
Michelangelo's own tormented face.

When the Pope says, "Hey,
I've got a gig for ya," you think
twice before you turn it down.

So Michelangelo climbed 18 meters up the scaffolding and spent 11 years of his life
sweating in this chapel.

The chapel is included on the
tour of the Vatican Museums.

"The Last Judgment" on the wall was begun 25 years after the ceiling had been completed.

Michelangelo's miserable face painted on the dead skin symbolized his resentment at being commissioned to
return to paint the wall.

"The Creation of Adam" is the most famous component of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling.  It's dead center.

2:23 pm

Michelangelo devoted the
years 1508 through 1512
to the Sistine ceiling.

The chapel itself has hosted the papal elections for centuries.

Dana, with the altar and "The Last Judgment" in the background

"The Last Judgment" took from 1535 to 1541 to complete.

Matt was previously here
in Nov 2006, but photos were
prohibited on that day.

All the paintings underwent a restoration between 1980 and 1999.

It's a myth that Michelangelo laid on his back while painting this ceiling.  There's no evidence
he did anything but stand.

"The Last Supper" by Cosimo
Rosselli is featured on the
right wall of the chapel.

"Crossing the Red Sea"
by Cosimo Rosselli 

"The Calling of the Apostles"
by Ghirlandaio