The Vatican is not only a home for the followers of the Roman Catholic church, it is also home to several historical Italian Renaissance pieces. It is within the frescos and statues of this holy building where artists conceptualized the complex ideals of this time period. Despite its location, these works best represent the interest in humanism founded in the High Renaissance, an understanding and appreciation of the needs and achievements of humans rather than just a divine power. Artists were commissioned to create works and paint on the walls of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, famously including Raphael and Michelangelo. Now these idealized, Greek-inspired forms are open to the public to see, but not everyone will have the opportunity to walk into a room and be consumed by the artist of some of the greatest Renaissance. However, the age of virtual reality and 360 degree cameras have solved this problem! Now with Musei Vaticani you can take a virtual tour of 14/26 museums within the Vatican in a 360 degree interactive tour and whatever you cannot see virtually, you can enjoy in a video from the same place!

What Can You See in These Virtual Museums?

• Raphael’s Rooms
  • Visit the four rooms of Raphael, painted from floor to ceiling in his fresco paintings. Even take a look at one of his most better known pieces, The School of Athens. Get up close, without the risk of chipping the old pigment, and examine how Raphael is able to capture the complexity of the High Renaissance by depicting some of the greatest philosophers, mathematicians, historians, theologists, and writers of his time and the consideration of the living and the spiritual.

• The Sistine Chapel / Sistine Halls
  • Engulf yourself in the ceiling high frescos of the Sistine Chapel. Several works by several artists commissioned by the Popes of the era. The work in the chapel is meant to commemorate significant religious figures and events.You can even view the famous Sistine ceiling painted by Michelangelo where he illustrated 9 stories of the Genesis including The Creation of Adam.

• New Wing
  • The New Wing displayed sculptures that were originally taken by Napoleon and in an effort to honor the artists and historical significance of these pieces, the entire wing was decorated with traditional tiles, architecture, and reliefs similar to those of the time period when these works were created. A majority of the statues present in the wing are replicas of Greek statues, who were big inspirations to Italians of the era, and emperors.

• Pio Clementino Museum
  • These halls are filled with ancient and classical collections of sculptures that were excavated, collected and or donated to the museum in an effort to restore and protect antique works of art of Italy. The halls are embellished with Neoclassical decorations overseen by several artists whose works are already displayed throughout the Vatican, including Michelangelo.

• Salone Sistino
  • I could not find information on their website or much online about what is within the Salone Sistino, but to my understanding it is or was a library and possibly at one point the Pope’s private study that has been in and out of the public eye for several decades now. The virtual tour oddly did not load properly for me. Let me know if it worked for you in the comments below!

• Profane Museum
  • A collection of several items whether their origins are unknown, are from before the Roman era, or are not about religious topics. Essentially, this museum is about anything other than religion that is found to be important enough to conserve,

• Pauline Halls
  • Pauline Halls is a chapel where the last two painted ever created by Michelangelo stand. The Conversion of Saul and The Crucifixion of Saint Peter, two frescos on opposite walls from each other.

• Chiaramonti Museum
  • This site is home to several Roman antiques like many of the other museums, but this museum is home to several busts used for funerals and as commissions of royalty, soldiers, and the wealthy.

• Hall of the Papyri
  • Unlike other areas of the Vatican, this hall displayers terracotta works and decorations which suggest ancient Egyptian influence by artists from the 1700’s.

• Niccoline Chapel
  • A hall full of several frescos of religious figures and murals with heavy depictions of the humanism philosophy.

• Gallery of Urban VIII
  • This chapel within the Vatican includes frescoes that depict the Stories of the Passion of Chirst commissioned to be painted by Italian artist Alessandro Vaiani and possibly alongside him was his daughter. Also includes paintings where the bases of the walls were made with leather, not as common of a practice at this time.

• Alexandrine Hall
  • Again I could not find much information on the works and decorations in this hall, but I assume they are extensions of other rooms within the Vatican and are covered with frescoes by some of the several artists that have laid their hands on the walls of the Vatican.

• Room of the Chiaroscuri
  • Another room with Raphael’s touch, this room depicts several statues of Apostles and Saints whose appearances were clearly heavily Greek influenced, as expected. These paintings would be touched up by other artists in the 1500’s.

Overall, I think this is an amazing website and for the most part the virtual tours and videos are great quality and provide basic information about every collection that is viewable. You can even order tickets for guided virtual tools, so if that interests you make sure to click any of the links in this blog to get to the website and start your tour of the Vatican. I hope you will like it as much as I did!

Thank you for reading!

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