On this day more than 500 years ago, one of the most famous chapels in the world was consecrated. And it can be found at the heart of the Vatican.
On August 15, 1483, Pope Sixtus IV dedicated the chapel that would soon be named after him to the Virgin Mary on the feast of her Assumption.
But the Sistine Chapel would not be completely finished until 1512 after Michelangelo added some of his most renowned work, including the Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement, which the artist connected in a unique way.
GUIDO CORNINI
Art Expert
Michelangelo had a specific theological reasoning behind the nudity. Being the Last Judgement, man's nudity is just as when he came into the world during creation. It thus ties in together with man's creation represented by the famous meeting of the hands.
These famous frescoes line the walls and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and are the backdrop for many important events in this papal chapel.
From baptisms…
Masses with the pope…
to serving as the room where cardinals from around the world gather to elect a new pope.
And in the center of this chapel is the Last Judgement piece, where Mary has a central place. This is a stark reminder of her ties to the Sistine Chapel that date all the way back to its dedication on August 15, 1483.
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