In Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel's monumental fresco, Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment," is currently being restored for the first time since 1994. The Vatican Museums announced on Monday that the delicate process of cleaning this iconic artwork will continue for three months. This effort targets the removal of a pervasive whitish film emerged due to microparticle deposition on the fresco's plaster, caused primarily by heavy foot traffic and air movement within the chapel.
Visitors can still access the chapel during the restoration, although scaffolding has been installed which partially obscures the fresco's spectacle. The presence of over six million annual visitors to the Vatican Museums, with the Sistine Chapel as a premier attraction, necessitates such restorations to preserve the integrity of the art.
Given the dense congregation of people in the relatively small chapel, librarians of the artwork diligently monitor environmental factors such as humidity and temperature, employing preventive actions to safeguard the fresco. This constant supervision helps mitigate deterioration caused by both natural and anthropogenic influences.
The chapel itself was named after Pope Sixtus IV, a 15th-century pontiff and notable art patron who commissioned the main papal chapel’s construction. However, it was Pope Julius II who later engaged Michelangelo to execute the ceiling paintings. The artist created the famous ceiling, highlighted by the iconic "Creation of Adam," between 1508 and 1512. Subsequently, Michelangelo returned to paint "The Last Judgment" on the wall behind the altar, solidifying the chapel’s artistic and cultural significance.
Beyond its artistic prominence, the chapel has hosted important religious events, such as the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV in May. Such functions emphasize the dual religious and cultural importance of the site within Vatican City.