The Apostolic Palace

• Address: 00120, Vatican
• Phone: +39 06 6988 3860
• Destination: Palazzo
• The site of the Vatican Museums: http://www.museivaticani.va

The Apostolic Palace in the Vatican is the official "residence" of the Pope. It is also called the Papal Palace, the Vatican Palace , and its official name is the Palace of Sixtus V. In fact, this is not one building, but a whole "collection" of palaces, chapels, chapels, museums and galleries built at different times in different styles. All of them are located around Cortile di Sisto V.

There is an Apostolic Palace northeast of St. Peter's Cathedral . Next to it are two more famous sights - the palace of Gregorio XIII and the Bastion of Nicholas V.

A bit of history

When exactly the Apostles Palace was built, it is not known exactly, the data differ quite seriously: some historians believe that some parts of the southern, oldest part of it were erected at the end of the III - beginning of the IV centuries during the reign of Constantine the Great, others - that it is much " younger "and was built in the VI century. The colonnade dates back to the 8th century, and in 1447 under Pope Nicholas V the old buildings were mostly demolished, and a new palace was erected in their place (with the "participation" of some of the old elements). It was completed and reconstructed many times, until the end of the 16th century - quite actively, but in the 20th century it was also completed (for example, under Pope Pius XI a separate monumental entrance to the museum was erected).

Raphael's Staats

4 small rooms, painted by Raphael and his disciples, were called Stanze di Rafaello - Raphael's Stantsi (the word "stanza" translates as a room). These rooms were decorated by the order of Pope Julius II - he chose them as private quarters, not wanting to live in the rooms in which he lived before Alexander VI. There is a legend that some paintings on the walls already existed, but Julius, struck by the skill of Raphael, ordered to knock down all the other paintings and instructed the artist to complete the room - although Raphael at the time was only 25 years old.

The first room is called Stanza del Senatura; it is the only one of the four retained the original name - the rest are now named for the main theme of the frescoes decorating them. Signature in translation means "sign", "put a seal" - the room served as an office, in it the father read the papers sent to him, signed them and sealed his signature with a seal.

The artist painted the room in the period from 1508 to 1511, it is devoted to human self-perfection, and 4 murals represent 4 directions of such activity: philosophy, justice, theology and poetry.

The painting of Stanza d'Eliodoro was performed from 1511 to 1514; The theme of the paintings is the divine patronage rendered to the Church and its ministers.

The third stanza is named Incendio di Borgo - one of the frescoes, which depicts a fire in the Borgo neighborhood, adjacent to the papal palace. All the frescoes here are dedicated to the deeds of the popes (including the fresco dedicated to the fire - according to legend, Pope Leo managed to stop the cross not only panic, but also fire). Work on her painting was conducted from 1514 to 1517 years.

The last stanza - Sala di Konstantino - was already finished by Raphael's pupils, since in 1520 the artist died. The composition is dedicated to the struggle of the first Roman Christian emperor Constantine with the pagans.

Belvedere Palace

Belvedere Palace is named after the sculpture of Apollo Belvedersky, which is stored there. Today in the palace is the museum of Pius-Clement . In addition to the world-famous statue of Apollo, there are many other masterpieces, including the statue of Laocoon, Aphrodite of Cnidus, Antinous of Belvedere, Perseus of Antonio Canova, Hercules, and other equally famous sculptures.

In total, the museum contains more than 8 hundred exhibits: the Animal Hall contains about 150 statues depicting various scenes with animals (some of them are copies of famous antique statues, some by originals restored by Italian sculptor Francesco Franconi); here is, among others, the original Greek statue depicting the torso of the Minotaur. In the Hall of the Muses there are statues depicting Apollo and 9 muses. The statues are copies of ancient Greek originals dating back to the 3rd century BC. Here is a cast from the Belvedere torso and statues of famous ancient Greek figures, including Pericles. The Muses Hall is octagonal in shape, surrounded by columns with a Corinthian warrant. No less attention than the sculptures themselves, draws the ceiling painting of Tomaszo Konka's brush, she continues the theme theme created by the sculptures, and depicts the Muses and Apollo, as well as the famous ancient poets - Greek and Roman.

The painting of the walls of the statue gallery was made by Pinturicchio and his disciples. Here are statues of gods and goddesses, Roman emperors (Augustus, Marcus Aurelius, Nero, Caracalla, etc.), patricians and common citizens, as well as copies of ancient Greek sculptures. The opposite ends of the gallery are decorated with two famous sculptures: Jupiter on the throne and sleeping Ariadne, and besides them you can see such statues as Drunken Satyr, Lamentation of Penelope and others. In the Hall of Busts there are busts of famous Roman citizens and ancient gods, including the funerary high relief of Cato and Portia. In total in the hall are about 100 busts and frescoes of the Renaissance.

Also worthy of mention are the Hall of the Greek Cross (named so by the figure that it represents in terms of), the Mask Cabinet, the Rotunda with the giant monolithic porphyry cup set in it, the Apoximen's Cabinet.

In front of the Belvedere Palace there is a fountain in the form of a cone - the work of Pirro Ligorio, and the place where it is located is called the Courtyard of Pinnia . Until the beginning of the 17th century, the cone adorned the Field of Mars in Paris, but in 1608 it was transported to the Vatican and installed in front of the entrance to the Belvedere Palace. It is an allegory of the creation of the world.

In addition to the cone, the square is decorated with the absolutely modern sculpture Sfera con Sfera - "Sphere in the field" by Arnaldo Pomodoro, established in the early 90s of the last century. The four-meter outer bronze sphere contains an inner rotating sphere, on which a pattern is seen, visible through "holes" and "holes" in the outer sphere. She personifies the Earth in the Universe and calls to reflect on the truth that everything that all the destruction that causes its planet finds its response in the outer world.

The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel was built during the reign of Pope Sixtus IV (construction began in 1473 and was completed in 1481) and named in his honor, and on the day of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary on August 15, 1483, she was consecrated. Before her, in this place stood another chapel, in which the papal court was to be assembled. The idea of ​​creating a new chapel, more fortified and capable of surviving a siege, if necessary, arose in Sixtus IV in connection with the constant threats of attack on the east coast of Italy by the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II, and also because of the military threat from the Signoria Medici.

However, fortification strengthened, and the decoration of the chapel was also not forgotten: the wall murals were made by Sandro Boticelli, Penturikkio and other famous artists of the time. Later, already with the Pope Julius II, Michelangelo executed the painting of the vault (it depicts the creation of the world), lunettes and decking. On four decks depict the biblical stories "Copper Serpent", "David and Goliath", "Kara Amana" and "Judith and Holofernes." Michelangelo did the work in a fairly short time, despite the fact that he himself positioned himself as a sculptor, and not as a painter, besides, during work there were various difficulties (some frescos had to be knocked down because they were covered with mold - wet plaster, on which they were applied, was exposed to the formation of mold, later another mortar was used, and the frescoes were painted anew).

Upon completion of the work on the vault painting on October 31, 1512, a solemn vespers were served in the new chapel (on the same day and at the same hour 500 years later, in 2012, Vespers was repeated by Pope Benedict XVI). Not surprisingly, it was Michelangelo who was entrusted with the painting of the altar wall. Works were made by the master from 1536 to 1541; On the wall there is a scene of the Last Judgment.

Beginning in 1492 - with the conclave, where the Pope was elected Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI - in the Sistine Chapel regularly held conclaves.

Papal apartments

The apartment in which the pope lives and works is at the top; some of the windows overlook St. Peter's Square . They consist of several rooms - an office, a secretary's room, a reception room, a bedroom, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen. Also there is a large library, a chapel and a medical office, which is important given the age at which cardinals are usually elected by the popes. However, the pontiff Francis abandoned the papal chambers and lives in the residence of Santa Marta, in a two-room apartment.

In the Apostolic Palace there is one more "papal chambers" - apartments belonging to the scandalously known Pope Alexander VI - Borgia. Today they are part of the Vatican Library , open to tourists, attracting special attention to the paintings made by Pinturicchio.

How to visit the Apostolic Palace?

You can visit the Apostolic Palace on weekdays and Saturdays from 9-00 to 18-00. An adult ticket costs 16 euros, you can buy it at the ticket office before 16-00. On the last Sunday of the month the museum can be visited from 9-00 to 12-30 absolutely free of charge.