Virtually explore the Papal Palace and the Sistine Chapel with Smarthistory as your guide
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Raphael, School of Athens
Whose side are you on? Two great philosophers of antiquity, Plato and Aristotle, face off in this meeting of minds.
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Michelangelo, Last Judgment, Sistine Chapel
As demons harvest new souls and angels wake the dead, Mary crouches, powerless beside Christ.
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Perugino, Christ Giving the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter
Togas or tights? Classical dress helps set the Twelve Apostles apart from a bunch of Renaissance men.
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Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
God created the world in seven days, but it took Michelangelo four years to depict it on this remarkable ceiling.