The Vatican Museums, Vatican City 
Entrance to the Vatican Museums.
Courtyard within the Vatican Museums.
The Vatican Museums are nearly always crowded, but still worth it.
A quiet corridor (because visitors aren't allowed) in the Vatican Library.
Porphyry sarcophagus of Queen Helena, Constantine's mother.
Porphyry bath of Nero.
Rafael salon, with the massive Transfiguration. Photo: Kenn Hwang.
Tapestry of the Last Supper.
Early Christian terracotta lamps with Chi Rho, from the catacombs.
Roman mosaic and animal statuary.
Sculpture of Lacoon. Photo by George Langenberg.
Egyptian mummy.
The School of Athens.
Entrance ticket to the Vatican Museums.
The Vatican Museums in Vatican City boast one of the world's greatest art collections. A gigantic repository of treasures from Antiquity and the Renaissance is housed in a labyrinthine series of lavishly adorned palaces, apartments, and galleries leading to the magnificent Sistine Chapel (profiled in a separate article).
History
The Vatican Museums occupy a part of the papal palaces built from the 1200s onward. The museums were created over a period of time to display the vast treasure trove of art acquired by the Vatican over the centuries.
What to See
You'll climb a magnificent spiral ramp to get to the ticket windows. After you're admitted, you can choose your route through the museum from four color-coded itineraries (A, B, C, D) according to the time you have and your interests. All four culminate in the Sistine Chapel. You determine your choice by consulting large panels on the wall and then following the letter/color of your choice. Below is a representative sampling of the massive amounts of masterpieces on display (in alphabetical order).
Borgia Apartments: Frescoed with biblical scenes by Pinturicchio of Umbria and his assistants, these rooms were designed for Pope Alexander VI (the infamous Borgia pope). They might be badly lit, but they boast great splendor and style. At the end of the Raphael Rooms is the Chapel of Nicholas V, an intimate room frescoed by the Dominican monk Fra Angelico, the most saintly of all Italian painters.
Chiaramonti Museum: Founded by Pope Pius VII, also known as Chiaramonti, the museum includes the Corridoio (Corridor), the Galleria Lapidaria, and the Braccio Nuovo (New Side). The Corridor hosts an exposition of more than 800 Greek-Roman works, including statues, reliefs, and sarcophagi. In the Galleria Lapidaria are about 5,000 Christian and pagan inscriptions. You'll find a dazzling array of Roman sculpture and copies of Greek originals in these galleries. In the Braccio Nuovo, built as an extension of the Chiaramonti, you can admire The Nile, a magnificent reproduction of a long-lost Hellenistic original and one of the most remarkable pieces of sculpture from antiquity. The imposing statue of Augustus of Prima Porta presents him as a regal commander.
Collection of Modern Religious Art: This museum, opened in 1973, represents American artists' first invasion of the Vatican. Of the 55 rooms, at least 12 are devoted to American artists. All the works chosen were judged on their "spiritual and religious values." Among the American works is Leonard Baskin's 1.5m (5-ft.) bronze sculpture of Isaac. Modern Italian artists such as De Chirico and Manzù are also displayed, and there's a special room for the paintings of the Frenchman Georges Rouault. You'll also see works by Picasso, Gauguin, Gottuso, Chagall, Henry Moore, Kandinsky, and others.
Egyptian-Gregorian Museum: Experience the grandeur of the pharaohs by studying sarcophagi, mummies, statues of goddesses, vases, jewelry, sculptured pink-granite statues, and hieroglyphics.
Etruscan-Gregorian Museum: This was founded by Gregory XIV in 1837 and then enriched year after year, becoming one of the most important and complete collections of Etruscan art. With sarcophagi, a chariot, bronzes, urns, jewelry, and terra-cotta vases, this gallery affords remarkable insights into an ancient civilization. One of the most acclaimed exhibits is the Regolini-Galassi tomb, unearthed in the 19th century at Cerveteri. It shares top honors with the Mars of Todi, a bronze sculpture probably dating from the 5th century B.C.
Ethnological Museum: This is an assemblage of works of art and objects of cultural significance from all over the world. The principal route is a .5km (1/3-mile) walk through 25 geographical sections, displaying thousands of objects covering 3,000 years of world history. The section devoted to China is especially interesting.
Historical Museum: This museum tells the history of the Vatican. It exhibits arms, uniforms, and armor, some dating from the early Renaissance. The carriages displayed are those used by the popes and cardinals in religious processions.
Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery): The Pinacoteca houses paintings and tapestries from the 11th to the 19th centuries. As you pass through room no. 1, note the oldest picture at the Vatican, a keyhole-shape wood panel of the Last Judgment from the 11th century. In room no. 2 is one of the finest pieces -- the Stefaneschi Triptych (six panels), by Giotto and his assistants. Bernardo Daddi's masterpiece of early Italian Renaissance art, Madonna del Magnificat, is also here. And you'll see works by Fra Angelico, the 15th-century Dominican monk who distinguished himself as a miniaturist (his Virgin with Child is justly praised -- check out the Madonna's microscopic eyes).
In the Raphael salon (room no. 8), you can view three paintings by the Renaissance giant himself: the Coronation of the Virgin, the Virgin of Foligno, and the massive Transfiguration (completed shortly before his death). There are also eight tapestries made by Flemish weavers from cartoons by Raphael. In room no. 9, seek out Leonardo da Vinci's masterful but uncompleted St. Jerome with the Lion, as well as Giovanni Bellini's Pietà; and one of Titian's greatest works, the Virgin of Frari. Finally, in room no. 10, feast your eyes on one of the masterpieces of the baroque, Caravaggio's Deposition from the Cross.
Pio Clementino Museum: Here you'll find Greek and Roman sculptures, many of which are immediately recognizable. The rippling muscles of the Belvedere Torso, a partially preserved Greek statue (1st century B.C.) much admired by the artists of the Renaissance, especially Michelangelo, reveal an intricate knowledge of the human body. In the rotunda is a large gilded bronze of Hercules from the late 2nd century B.C. Other major sculptures are under porticoes opening onto the Belvedere courtyard. From the 1st century B.C., one sculpture shows Laocoön and his two sons locked in eternal struggle with the serpents. The incomparable Apollo Belvedere (a late Roman reproduction of an authentic Greek work from the 4th century B.C.) has become the symbol of classic male beauty, rivaling Michelangelo's David. Some members of the Vatican staff once discovered Michelangelo in front of the Belvedere Apollo "publicly aroused in defilement." He was caned and shamed accordingly and had to promise to "create something grand" to compensate for his "shocking" behavior.
Raphael Rooms: While still a young man, Raphael was given one of the greatest assignments of his short life: to decorate a series of rooms in the apartments of Pope Julius II. Raphael and his workshop carried out the commission from 1508 to 1524. In these works, Raphael achieves the Renaissance aim of blending classic beauty with realism. In the first chamber, the Stanza dell'Incendio, you'll see much of the work of Raphael's pupils but little of the master -- except in the fresco across from the window. The figure of the partially draped Aeneas rescuing his father (to the left of the fresco) is sometimes attributed to Raphael, as is the surprised woman with a jug balanced on her head to the right.
Raphael reigns supreme in the next and most important salon, the Stanza della Segnatura, the first room decorated by the artist, where you'll find the majestic School of Athens, one of his best-known works, depicting such philosophers from the ages as Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates. Many of the figures are actually portraits of some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, including Bramante (on the right as Euclid, bent over to draw on a chalkboard), Leonardo da Vinci (as Plato, the bearded man in the center pointing heavenward), and even Raphael himself (looking out at you from the lower-right corner). While he was painting this masterpiece, Raphael stopped work to walk down the hall for the unveiling of Michelangelo's newly finished Sistine Chapel ceiling. He was so impressed that he returned to his School of Athens and added to his design a sulking Michelangelo sitting on the steps. Another well-known masterpiece here is the Disputa del Sacramento.
The Stanza d'Eliodoro, also by the master, manages to flatter Raphael's papal patrons (Julius II and Leo X) without compromising his art (although one rather fanciful fresco depicts the pope driving Attila from Rome). Finally, there's the Sala di Constantino, which was completed by his students after Raphael's death. Raphael designed the loggia, which is frescoed with more than 50 scenes from the Bible, but his students did the actual work.
Quick Facts
| Location: | Viale Vaticano, Vatican City (a long walk around the Vatican walls from St. Peter's Square) |
| Metro: | Ottaviano/San Pietro, then a long walk |
| Contact: | 06-69884341 |
| Hours: | Mid-Mar to late Oct Mon-Fri 8:45am-3:20pm; Sat and last Sun of the month 8:45am-12:20pm. Off season Mon-Sat and last Sun of the month 8:45am-12:20pm. Closed all national and religious holidays except Holy Week. |
| Cost: | 12€; free for everyone the last Sunday of each month (includes admission to Sistine Chapel) |
| Photos: | Photos are permitted throughout the museum except in the Sistine Chapel; flash is prohibited in some art galleries |
| Tips: | Be ready for a long line to get into the Vatican Museum, and crowds once you're in. You can avoid the line by booking a tour or just going in the afternoon (after 2-ish is best). |
Location Map
Location map and satellite view of the Vatican Museums. Using the slider on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. You can explore all of from space on our Rome Map or on Google Earth.
Sources
- Based on text © Frommer's Rome, 17th edition
- Personal visit (July 2006)
- TripAdvisor - traveler reviews of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, including reviews of tours
- Guided tours of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel - tours depart from Rome hotels and other locations, skip the long lines, and include optional extension to Catacombs)
