Patrick Ledbetter Photography

Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope, in Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, the chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored it between 1477 and 1480. Since that time, the chapel has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. Today it is the site of the Papal conclave, the process by which a new pope is selected. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescos that decorate the interior, and most particularly the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment by Michelangelo. The Vatican is very serious about photography inside the Sistine Chapel so I was only able to get two pictures when no one was looking.

The Last Judgment by Michelangelo. The Last Judgment is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo executed on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It is a depiction of t

Another view of The Last Judgment. The ceiling is so vast and beautiful and I only had a few seconds to select which part I wanted to capture so I chose to center on Christ. This was taken with a 50mm