Cappella Paolina
The Cappella Paolina ( Italian for Pauline Chapel ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City . It is only separated from the Sistine Chapel by the Sala Regia room . It contains important works by the artist Michelangelo Buonarotti . The Cappella Paolina is not open to the public.
history
The chapel was built by Pope Paul III. commissioned and consecrated to St. Paul the Apostle . The construction according to plans by Antionio da Sangallo the Younger lasted from 1537 to 1539. This first construction phase ended with the completion of the frescoes Conversion of Saul in 1545 and Crucifixion of Peter in 1550 by Michelangelo.
Under Gregory XIII. Significant changes were made to the vault and the chapel's furnishings were supplemented with frescoes by Lorenzo Sabatini and Federico Zuccari . In the time of Paul V , after the completion of the facade of St. Peter's Basilica, the adjacent apse of the chapel had to be restored. The white and gold color scheme of the decoration was retained until the 19th century, only Pius IX. had this painted over and redesigned the entrance wall.
restoration
The plan for the restoration of the Capella Paolina from 2004 to 2009 goes back to the pontificate of John Paul II. The work was made possible by donations from the US Patrons of the Arts . They mainly comprised the stucco decoration, which could largely be restored in the original colors, and the restoration of Michelangelo's two frescoes, as well as the cleaning of the frescoes by Sabatini and Zuccari. On July 4, 2009, the restoration of the chapel during a Vespers by Benedict XVI. solemnly ended.
use
Since there is no tabernacle in the Sistine Chapel , the Cappella Paolina serves as a sacrament chapel . A mass is held in the Cappella Paolina before the conclave , i.e. the assembly of cardinals to elect a new Pope . Then the cardinals go to the Sistine Chapel for the conclave. In 1549–1550 and 1559 the conclave itself took place in the chapel because the Sistine Chapel was used for other purposes. From the conclave 1549-1550 Julius III went. emerged as Pope after a long meeting. Until 1670, the Pauline Chapel served as a place for voting in a conclave.
Michelangelo's frescoes
After Michelangelo had created the famous frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, he was commissioned to decorate the Cappella Paolina. Between 1542 and 1550, the conversion of Paul (1542–1545) and the crucifixion of Peter (1545–1550) were made. Both frescoes are located on opposite walls. Michelangelo was already 75 years old at this point and was weakened by illnesses; the frescoes are therefore part of the artist's old work. The long period of time for the execution of the two frescoes can also be explained by the simultaneous activities of Michelangelo, the redesign of the Capitol Square , the management of the work on St. Peter's Basilica and the completion of the Julius tomb .
literature
- Maurizio de Luca, Arnold Nesselrath , Antonio Paolucci , Ulderico Santamaria (eds.): The Pauline Chapel. Vatican City, Edizioni Musei Vaticani 2013. ISBN 978-88-8271-176-4
Web links
- 360 ° view
- Procession of the cardinals on the occasion of the 2013 conclave from which Pope Francis emerged. The College of Cardinals moves from the Cappella Paolina through the Sala Regia to the Sistine Chapel.
Coordinates: 41 ° 54 ′ 9.4 ″ N , 12 ° 27 ′ 17 ″ E