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A Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. It’s one of the triumphs of Renaissance painting. The chapel’s walls were frescoed by Raphael, Bernini, and Sandro Botticelli. And then, between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling, covering some 12,000 square feet, decorating it with 300 figures from nine Book of Genesis scenes. Thanks in part to Villanova University, you can now take a virtual, panoramic tour of the Chapel. Using buttons in the lower left screen, you can move around the room and zoom in on the paintings, including those on the ceiling. It’s been a while since I visited the Vatican. But, from what I remember, this virtual tour gives you a closer look than the average visitor gets.