Vatican Museums

A group of art and archaeology museums in Vatican City, founded by Pope Julius II and known for major collections of classical sculpture and Renaissance art.

Sistine Chapel: A chapel in Vatican City famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes and the Last Judgment. Its frescoes are among the most famous works displayed within the museum complex.
Pope Julius II: Pope from 1503 to 1513 who commissioned major Renaissance projects and began the Vatican’s public collection of antiquities. His collecting of classical sculpture established the museums’ early collection.
Vatican City: An independent city-state surrounded by Rome and governed by the Holy See. The museums occupy this state, whose territory and institutions shape their setting.
Napoleonic looting of art: The removal of artworks from conquered territories by Napoleon’s armies and French authorities. French seizures from the Papal States interrupted the collections and led to returns after Napoleon’s defeat.
Raphael Rooms: A suite of rooms in the Apostolic Palace decorated with frescoes by Raphael and his workshop. Their frescoes reveal the Renaissance art commissioned by the popes who built the collections.
Cortile del Belvedere: A large Renaissance courtyard complex in the Vatican designed by Donato Bramante for Pope Julius II. Julius II displayed major sculptures here, making the courtyard a foundation of the museums.
Holy See: The central governing authority of the Catholic Church, distinct from Vatican City as a territory. Papal authority and administration underpin the museums’ historical collecting and stewardship.
Restitution of cultural property: The return of cultural objects to communities or states from which they were removed. The recovery of artworks taken from the Vatican collections exemplifies restitution after military seizure.
Laocoön and His Sons: An ancient marble sculpture depicting the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons attacked by serpents. Its discovery helped inspire Julius II’s early collection of classical sculpture.
Pope Clement XIV: Pope from 1769 to 1774 who established the Pio-Clementino Museum to display papal antiquities. His museum gave the Vatican collections a more formal institutional structure.

Linked from 6 pages