The Vatican Museums have a long and illustrious history.

Pope Niccol V

Pope Niccol V commissioned the architect Bernardo Rossellino to design the new Basilica of San Pietro and the painter Fra Angelico to adorn the Nicolina chapel. The construction of the Vatican began in 1447. Sixtus IV ordered the Sistine Chapel to be built in 1471, with embellishments painted by painters such as Sandro Botticelli and Pietro Perugino, who were later renovated by Michelangelo Buonarroti on Julius II’s direction in 1508.

Julius II

Julius II’s private works were transported to the Octagonal Courtyard when he was elected Pope in 1503, giving birth to the Vatican Museums. The Belvedere Apollo, the Happy Venus, the Nile, the Tiber River, the Sleeping Ariadne, and the Laocoon group and his offspring are among the works. The original buildings were then connected to the new ones through tunnels. Julius II commissioned Raphael’s rooms to be decorated, as well as Donato Bramante’s helical ramp to provide access to the top floors from the Belvedere Garden.

Benedict XIV

Benedict XIV reorganized the Sacred and Profane Museums, as well as the Cabinet of Medals, in 1740. Johann Joachim Winckelmann’s discoveries of works of art and archeology stimulated the public presentation of the Vatican collections in 1756. The Pio Clementino and Pius VII Museum were conceived by Clement XIV and Pius VI, and Antonio Canova was in charge of its organization. Gregory XVI established the Gregorian Etruscan Museum in 1837, and the Gregorian Egyptian Museum two years later. The Gregorian Profane Museum was formed in 1844 in the Lateran Palace, and the Catholic Church’s exhibition of works was revised in 1870. Later, Pius XI established the Ethnological Missionary Museum and the Pinacoteca, which included paintings stolen by Napoleon and returned following the 1815 Vienna Congress.

The old Lateran collections, the Gregorian Profane and Pio Cristiano Museums, and the Ethnological Missionary Museum were all transferred to the Vatican decades later, in 1970. During Pope Paul VI’s papacy, the Carriage Museum and the Collection of Modern Religious Art were established. The Gregorian Egyptian and Gregorian Etruscan museums were reorganized from 1989 to 2000, and the Historical Museum was established.

What do the Vatican Museums look like nowadays?

The Vatican Museums have been included in a list of the world’s most prominent museums, and a visit to them is a must for anybody visiting Rome. The  Museums house the Popes’ personal collections as well as outstanding works from all eras that have become priceless relics of a bygone era.

The Vatican Museums not only house some of the most exclusive, historically and artistically significant areas of the Apostolic Palaces, but also some of the most precious collections of art, archeology, and ethnology created by many popes over the years.

The monumental gateway in the northern part of the Vatican walls was opened in February 2000, very near to the oldest one, designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932. The spiral staircase with its railing, designed by Antonio Maraini and used to depart the museum, is shown here.

Curiosities about the Vatican Museums

Did you know that the Vatican Museums first opened their doors in the 16th century and today receive over 6 million visitors each year? At the moment, the Vatican Museums have four alternative paths to tour the many galleries, all of which lead to the Sistine Chapel and assist sort out the vast number of visitors.

Did you know that Michelangelo Buonarroti, one of the world’s most famous Renaissance painters, spent nearly ten years of his life painting the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling and altar walls? The Sistine Chapel is housed within the Vatican Museums and is a must-see for everyone visiting Rome or the Vatican City. It is a once-in-a-lifetime event that you must not miss.

Why visit the Vatican Museums?

Visiting the Vatican Museums is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that should be taken advantage of. This is a long and exciting voyage that will take you through more than two centuries of history and art, filling you with emotions. The Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s apartments, and the Pinacoteca are just a few of the precious items on display.

The Vatican Museums include one of the world’s most magnificent and vast collections of Catholic Church artifacts, with over 70,000 objects on display over 42,000 square meters.

How can I visit the Vatican Museums?

The Vatican Museums can be visited in a variety of ways to fulfill any requirement. It is feasible and strongly encouraged, to acquire an entrance ticket in advance that allows you access to the Museums and the Sistine Chapel, given the huge lines at the ticket office. The Vatican Museums may be seen in a variety of ways, ranging from a basic entrance ticket that can be purchased online and lets you escape the long line at the door to a variety of guided excursions.

If you only have a limited amount of time, an expert guide can take you around the important rooms of the Vatican Museums in a special morning tour including the Sistine Chapel. If you have more time, however, a lengthier tour that covers the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica is available. Both of these tours are also available with a private guide exclusively for you.

Other attractions in the area

Another important site is the Basilica of San Pietro, which houses the Holy See. The Basilica was built in a 1st-century necropolis, just a few feet from the Vatican Museums. This is Catholicism’s most prominent religious temple. This basilica is named for St. Peter, the first pope in the history of the Catholic Church, whose body is buried there.

For the time period in which it was built, its dimensions were tremendous. It took 160 years to build, and renowned painters. Maderno, who was in charge of the facade, Michelangelo, who was in charge of the dome, and Bernini, who was in charge of the plaza, worked on it, changing it into one-of-a-kind pieces of art.