Imagine experiencing a conclave from inside the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel to other secret passageways blocked off to the public . Don´t miss out on this opportunity to see the Vatican from within.
The Vatican Museums are a group of rooms that display works from an extensive collection of the Catholic Church. Its base was the private exposition of Julius II, who was elected pope in 1503; and throughout history the popes have been increasing the extensive collections that make up the Vatican Museums.
This group of rooms is composed of different thematic museum buildings, pontifical build ings, galleries , monuments and gardens . Among them is also the Vatican Library.
In the early morning hours, Gianni Crea is awake to open up the Vatican Museums for the thousands of tourists who visit daily. Beginning at 4:45 a.m., he coordinates the five people who open the museums in the morning and the five who close it around midnight.
Yet, he not only oversees the work, but walks one mile in the morning turning on the lights and opening up each of the doors and gates.
Each door and key is numbered, ensuring that among 2,979 keys, all are present. However, after 21 years in this job, Gianni knows the keys like the back of his hand.
One of the most spectacular parts of his job is being the first one to turn on the lights of the Sistine Chapel . He has the entire room all to himself before the tours begin.
The Sistine Chapel. The most fa mous chapel in the world. A place rich in images but also in symbolism. Each scene has a double, even a triple meaning . The side walls were painted by geniuses such as il Perugino or Sandro Botticelli. But above and in front of them, The Creation and The Last Judgement were the work of Michelangelo .
Currently it is the seat of the conclave , the meeting in which the cardinals choose a new pope. Each cardinal under age 80 is eligible to vote starting the first day inside the Sistine Chapel . Votes are cast each morning and afternoon until a two-thirds majority vote for the same person is cast.
After each round of voting, the famous black or white smoke can be seen from the Sistine Chapel , of which the Vatican's key master has an exclusive view.
Nobody can predict a conclave's length. In fact the longest one was nearly three years, while the shortest was only three ballots.
Yet, no matter the length, at least the view from the Vatican Museums is beautiful, as cardinals inside the Sistine Chapel or key holders closely watching from outside.
