The Renaissance master, born 550 years ago, pursued various art forms with astonishing vision and relentless drive.

At the turn of the 16th century, Pope Julius II commissioned a reluctant Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. Michelangelo considered himself more of a sculptor ...

1508-1512 – Michelangelo paints the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. February 11, 1929 – The signing of the Lateran Pacts between the Holy See and Italy establishes Vatican City State ...

Michelangelo Buonarroti wasn’t a great painter, per his own admission, especially compared to his contemporaries and students, Caravaggio and Raphael. He want ...

The impressive dome ceiling in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome.Credit: Getty Images However, the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel is not the only one in Rome. And the one inside the Basilica ...

Vatican City, Rome Meanwhile ... fresco was censored The Last Judgement was painted 25 years after the Sistine Chapel ceiling, by which time Michelangelo was 60. A sense of his own mortality ...

Attractions encompass the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums, making this city-state so immense (and notoriously crowded) that guided Vatican tours are highly recommended.

The overwhelming grandeur, scope and vision of Michelangelo’s miraculous Sistine Chapel ceiling and “The Last Judgment” frescoes transcend reason and defy human capability. Comprising more ...

If the current pope were to pass away, another would be elected by the Vatican's cardinals to take his place. And either white or black smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel are used to signify ...

Here’s a look at the Vatican, also known as the Holy See, the spiritual and governing center of the Roman Catholic Church. Facts The full name of the country is State of Vatican City. It stands on ...