Sistine Chapel

American  

noun

1. the chapel of the pope in the Vatican at Rome, built for Pope Sixtus IV and decorated with frescoes by Michelangelo and others.

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Sistine Chapel British  

/ ˈsɪstaɪn, -tiːn /

noun

1. the chapel of the pope in the Vatican at Rome, built for Sixtus IV and decorated with frescoes by Michelangelo and others

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Sistine Chapel Cultural  

1. A chapel adjoining Saint Peter's Basilica, noted for the frescoes of biblical subjects painted by Michelangelo on its walls and ceilings. The Creation is one of the notable subjects of the ceiling paintings, and the Judgment Day is depicted on the rear wall of the chapel.

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Discover More

Michelangelo had to work on his back to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The project took four years to complete.

Etymology

Origin of Sistine Chapel

Sistine, from Italian Sistino relating to Sisto Sixtus (Pope Sixtus IV)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sistine Chapel

Highlights include the first painting he completed entirely on his own, as well as tapestries designed for the Sistine Chapel.

From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026

Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel from 1508 to 1512, creating hundreds of preparatory drawings but afterward instructing his assistants in Rome to destroy them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026

Experts at Christie's say it is a foot sketch of the Libyan Sibyl which was later painted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026

White smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel to announce the election of the 267th head of the Catholic Church after a less-than-24-hour conclave.

From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025

“Had you ‘artists’ had a part in the decoration of the Sistine Chapel, it would have ended up looking like a particularly vulgar train terminal,” Ignatius snorted.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole