The famous “Last Judgment” fresco in the Sistine Chapel will soon be able to be seen as Michelangelo painted it, the Vatican announces
Inside the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, PHOTO: Vatican2008 / Alamy / Profimedia Images
Michelangelo's “Last Judgment,” a Renaissance masterpiece in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel depicting Jesus at the Second Coming, will undergo its first restoration in 30 years, Reuters reports.
The Vatican announced in a press release that experts will work for three months to remove particles accumulated over decades that have faded the work's colors.
“The new intervention… will allow the removal of these deposits and, consequently, the recovery of the chromatic and luministic quality desired by Michelangelo,” the statement states.
The Sistine Chapel, famous as the site of the secret conclave where Catholic cardinals from around the world vote to elect new popes, is visited by millions of people every year as part of the Vatican Museums.
The chapel will remain open during the restoration. But the fresco itself, which shows Jesus pronouncing the final judgment on humanity, will be covered by scaffolding.
Visitors will instead be able to see a high-definition reproduction of the work, according to the Vatican.
The chapel also houses many other frescoes, including Michelangelo's “Creation of Adam” on its ceiling. They will still remain exposed.
