Europe

Acropolis/Parthenon
Alhambra
Amalfi Drive
British Museum
Canals of Venice
Cappadocia
Chambord Chateau
Chartres Cathedral
Colosseum of Rome
Delphi
Dubrovnik
Eiffel Tower
Fjords of Norway
Florence Cityscape
Hagia Sophia
Hermitage Museum
Kremlin
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Louvre Museum
Matterhorn
Mezquita of Cordoba
Mont-St-Michel
Neuschwanstein Castle
Pompeii
Portofino
Prague Old Town
Santorini
Sistine Chapel
St. Basil's Cathedral
St. Mark's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
Stonehenge
Topkapi Palace
Uffizi Gallery
Versailles

Asia

Angkor Wat
Baalbek
Bagan Temples/Pagodas
Bali
Banaue Rice Terraces
Borobudur
Forbidden City
Golden Pavilion
Golden Temple
Great Wall of China
Hong Kong Harbour/City
Kashmir Valley
Katmandu Valley
Ladakh
Li River Cruise
Lijiang Shargri-La
Meenakshi
Mt. Everest
Petronas Twin Towers
Potala Palace at Lhasa
Qin Terra Cotta Warriors
Shwedagon Stupa
Taj Mahal
Temple Emerald Buddha
Varanasi/Ganges
Yangtze River Cruise

Africa & Middle East

Abu Simbel
Burj Al Arab
Damascus Old City
Egyptian Museum
Jerusalem Old City
Karnak Temple
Marrakesh
Mecca
Nile River Cruise
Ngorongoro Crater
Petra
Pyramids of Egypt
Sahara Desert
Serengeti Migration
Valley of the Kings
Victoria Falls

North America

Banff National Park
Carlsbad Caverns
Chichen Itza
Grand Canyon
Metropolitan Museum
New York Skyline
Niagara Falls
San Francisco Bay/City
Teotihuacan
Yellowstone
Yosemite

South America

Amazon Rain Forest
Angel Falls
Carnival in Rio
Easter Island
Galapagos Islands
Iguazu Falls
Machu Picchu
Rio Panoramic Views

Other world areas

Antarctica Cruise
Ayers Rock
Bora Bora
Great Barrier Reef

Website

Site map
About my credentials & website
Reader testimonials
Email me your opinion

 

 

Sistine Chapel

Candid tips & insights

 

NEXT Top 100 Wonder
Top 100 Wonder rankings
MENU


Why the
Sistine Chapel
is special

The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City contains two of the world's most celebrated frescoes, "Genesis" and "The Last Judgment".


Michelangelo
masterpieces


Genesis

The first is a set of Genesis-themed frescoes painted on the Sistine Chapel's high vaulted ceiling by the then young Michelangelo. He began the project in 1508 and finished four years later. His best known Genesis ceiling fresco depicts God creating Adam (see photo).


Last Judgment

Two decades later, Michelangelo painted "The Last Judgment" on the large wall behind the Sistine Chapel's altar. It took him six years (1535-1541) to complete it.


More
Sistine Chapel
tips & insights


Name

The Sistine Chapel was named for its 15th century benefactor, Pope Sixtus IV.


Botticelli

Michelangelo's works are not the only treasured frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. One is Botticelli's "Temptations of Christ", a masterpiece.


No direct entrance
for visitors

The only way a tourist can reach the Sistine Chapel is through the Vatican Museums (which, incidentally, are collectively a Hillman Wonder Silver Medal winner).


Where popes
are chosen

The Sistine Chapel is more than an art lover's paradise. It's the room where cardinals from around the world convene to elect new popes.


Visit my other
Vatican City pages


 Click  Click  Click  Click

M E N U

NEXT Top 100 Wonder
Top 100 Wonder rankings


Other pages & sections
that may interest you

Top 1000 Wonder list
Wonder Guides to 17 countries
Special Topic Guides
Site Map
About Howard Hillman
What Readers Say
Email me your opinion


sponsored ad 

Explore my
candid country, region
and other travel guides

Click links for tips & insights



©2009 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications