The Sistine Chapel is the piece de resistance of the Vatican museum and the culmination of Michelangelo's finest work. Frescos detailing the life and times of both Jesus and Moses line the walls beneath the benevolent portraits of former popes. The frescos are divided into three cycles, the pre-ten commandments biblical world, the era between the time of Moses and the birth of Jesus, and the third cycle portraying the events thereafter. It was meant to show the seamless progression from the Old Testament to the new one. But even though these frescos were completed by some of the era's finest painters, they will always be secondary to Michelangelo's contributions: the ceiling and the altar. A Sistine Chapel restoration project helped to enrich the passion and vibrancy of his work, though its undertaking was not without controversy.

The architectural history of the Sistine Chapel is also interesting - the dimensions of the rectangular church were decided to mirror the measurements of the temple of solomon given in the bible. But that is not what has drawn millions of inspired visitors to the Chapel. When the original painting of the Chapel was completed in 1481, the ceiling was nothing more than a blue pincushion sky full of golden stars. Twenty seven years later, Pope Julius II - with whom Michelangelo would have a lengthy and adversarial relationship, a relationship that would be central to the history of the Sistine Chapel ceiling - commissioned the great artist to breathe new life high into the cathedral. The final work would take four years to complete and would require the great artist to spend the majority of his time in discomfort, lying prone on a specially designed scaffolding high above the church floor. Regardless, Michelangelo proved he was at the apex of his skills; the Creation of Adam is without compare, and one of the defining images of the Catholic Church. Along with this fresco, there is his depiction of the Garden of Eden amongst nine carefully reconstructed stories from the book of Genesis, along with over 300 biblical figures splayed colorfully across the vaulted Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Despite the painful memories (besides permanently injuring his back, painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling had irreparably damaged Michelangelo's eyesight), the artist returned 23 years later to paint the Last Judgment on the gigantic wall located behind the cathedral's altar. The painting is an apocalyptic display of the second coming of Christ - the lucky souls drift towards heaven, while the remainder plunge towards hell to prepare for an eternity of torture. At the center lies the powerful figure of Christ, casting his everlasting judgment. Amongst Michelangelo's darkest works, the son of God has a cold, unforgiving expression - not the compassionate figure central to so many Renaissance paintings, but a harsh appraiser of souls who takes no joy in either allowing the righteous into heaven nor any pity for those cast into hell. Even those rising upward seem joyless in their ascent. It is a striking contrast to his earlier work upon the ceiling, where a sense of hope was the defining element.

The history of the Sistine Chapel took a contentious turn when it was restored in the late 20th century, with many purists claiming that it violated the sanctity of Michelangelo's work. But the Sistine Chapel restoration demonstrated to a new generation the full impact of the ceiling, a piece of work that has long been defined by its immaculate use of color in its imagery. Protests were launched and debates were heated, but it did little to dissuade the Vatican - the Sistine Chapel restoration project began in 1980 and lasted for twelve years, reviving the vivid colors of Michelangelo that had dulled with time.