NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

    VATICAN CITY, DEC 6 (ZENIT) - After 20 years of work, the restoration of the Sistine Chapel is now complete. The last task to be undertaken was the cleaning of the frescoes on the side walls, which include scenes from the lives of Moses and Christ.

    The final phase of the restoration, which lasted five years, has made possible the recovery of the splendor of the 15th century paintings that were commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV, before Michelangelo painted the Creation on the ceiling (1508-1512) and the Last Judgment on the altar wall, modifying forever the first artistic conception of this Chapel, which has witnessed the election of so many Popes.

    The restoration was carried out by experts from the Vatican Museums, who were precise in matters of chronology in the Chapel's artistic works, and testified to the decisive role of painters like Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Cosimo Rosselli.

    The restoration, which was financed by the Patrons of the Vatican museums, has made possible a thorough analysis of the techniques used by the artists to decorate the Chapel. The Vatican experts have also been able to discover with certainty the contribution made by each of the above-mentioned artists. ZE99120612

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