The Sistine Chapel is the site where the conclave for the election of the popes and other solemn pontifical ceremonies are held. The Sistine Chapel is still being used for official ceremonies. The chapel has a rectangular shape. It measures 41 × 13 meters and was built using somewhat ordinary bricks. From the outside there is nothing spectacular about the building. It has a barrel-shaped roof, topping 20 meters. On the inside, the chapel is divided into 2 by a transenna: a fence made from marble. The part facing the altar is only accessible to priests. The paintings on the walls and on the ceiling are widely considered to be the peak of Renaissance art. The barrel-vaulted ceiling is entirely covered by the famous frescoes which Michelangelo painted between 1508 and 1512 for Julius II.
credit: archer10 (Dennis)