10 Secrets of the Sistine Chapel You Probably Didn't Know

With its richly colored frescoes, the Sistine Chapel is one of the most famous and recognizable places in all of Italy, if not the world. But do you know all of its secrets? Here are ten things you probably don’t know about the stunning chapel at the heart of Vatican City in Rome. These facts will fascinate and delight you as much as they did the Pope when Michelangelo painted them on the walls more than 500 years ago!

I. It Was Destroyed Before

Legend has it Michelangelo painted The Last Judgment in an act of defiance. Apparently, Pope Clement VII wasn’t a fan of his 1512 chapel frescoes and told Michelangelo to either paint over them or go home; clearly, he chose option B. Art historians to believe that after The Last Judgment was destroyed, all that remained were blackened patches on white plaster where frescoes had been painted. Had Clement permitted him to paint as he liked, history might have unfolded differently. II. It Has Hidden Meaning: Although most viewers will never notice it, Michelangelo hid his name within The Creation of Adam. If you look at God's right arm (on which Adam is leaning), you'll see a small M carved into one of the fingers. This isn't just some kind of artistic signature—it's also an homage to Michaelangelo's nickname: Buonarroti means good arm. And if you're interested in more hidden meanings, check out these 10 Hidden Meanings in Famous Works of Art. III. It Contains a Secret Room: Behind one panel is a staircase leading down to a room containing three altarpieces commissioned by Pope Julius II for private viewing during mass.

II. Michelangelo Had Help

To paint The Last Judgement, a sprawling fresco on a 140-foot-wide wall in one of Rome's most sacred places, Michelangelo had help from two men, one his teacher and friend Sebastiano del Piombo and another man known only as Boltraffio. So how did he paint such a colossal masterpiece all by himself? Simple: He didn't. It was common practice for Renaissance painters to work with assistants to complete their masterpieces. It wasn’t until centuries later that some scholars decided that since Michelangelo was so talented (and since they couldn’t imagine anyone else being capable), he must have painted every inch of it himself. But what do we know about these mysterious assistants? And why is there so little information available about them today?

III. There Are Some Surprising Facts About It

It’s called The Sistine Chapel, not the Sistine Chapel. This is to differentiate it from other chapels named after Saint Peter. So, it’s the Cappella Maggiore. And despite its fame, there are several things you probably don’t know about it. It was designed by Donato Bramante and commissioned by Pope Julius II as part of a larger campaign to rebuild St Peter's Basilica in 1508. The painting was completed in 1512-1520. The design places Pope Julius on a higher level than his successor so he wouldn’t be overshadowed by Michelangelo or God for that matter!

IV. The Colors Used Were Outrageous

You’ve probably heard that Michelangelo was a master of bold color, but you might not have realized just how daring his choices were. The ceiling’s blue sky is called lapis lazuli, which is still one of the most expensive pigments on earth. It was imported from Afghanistan and, at that time, was so costly that artists would only use it for special occasions. Today, only around 100 pounds are produced every year—that’s about as much paint as would fit in one medium-sized bucket.

V. The Original Ceiling Was Not White

Michelangelo's Original Ceiling was not white. It was blue. The King of France, Francois I commissioned a French painter, Jean Perréal to paint a fresco on top of Michelangelo's ceiling sometime between 1533 - 1534. Over time dirt and smoke from candles caused much of Perréal's work to fade away leaving an almost blank canvas for Michelangelo to fix.

VI. They Want to Paint Over It Again

Michelangelo’s ceiling is a beautiful piece of art, but did you know that it was supposed to be temporary? Pope Julius II initially commissioned Michelangelo to paint over a decrepit old chapel, as opposed to renovating it. The pope didn’t want to spend any money on renovations and planned on simply painting right over Michelangelo’s work later. To ensure that his work could never be painted over, Michelangelo designed his ceiling with seven large grooves in an attempt to make it unsuitable for laying additional frescoes. Fortunately for us, Julius II was unimpressed by what he saw and gave Michelangelo money for renovations—it turns out he wanted even more from God than being remembered by history. For starters. :)

VII. It's Everywhere!

The Importance Of Perspective In The Sistine Chapel: While Michelangelo was working, his painting was facing away from him. He wasn’t able to see it. Therefore, he had to be able to envision it from every possible angle, for him to finish. A lot of times when you are working on something, you have a preconceived idea about how it should be done and can become frustrated if something seems out of place or wrong. It is important to remember that being able to imagine your work from all different perspectives is one of your strengths as a person and can help bring a whole new meaning and depth into what you are doing because there may be more than one way for you accomplish whatever it is that you are trying to do.

VIII. Raphael Had His Ideas

One thing to keep in mind is that while Michelangelo did work under Pope Julius II, he was not working exclusively on The Last Judgement. He worked on many other frescos and paintings in addition to The Last Judgement. So if you look at Raphael's Disputation painting that hangs opposite The Last Judgement in The Sistine Chapel, you'll see that Raphael portrayed himself as a scholar. What better depiction for a painter than to be a man of art? But there's another reason why Raphael may have placed himself in his painting; it also happens to be one way Michelangelo depicted himself (in his painting directly across from Raphael). What is it? How were Michelangelo and Raphael similar?

IX. No Naked People Allowed

Just like modern-day churches and synagogues, Michelangelo wasn’t allowed to paint nudes on his ceiling. The church deemed that God is an artist and does not need help from anyone, so it was against Christian doctrine for a painter to paint a human body, according to Italian art curator Felice Limosani. During those days, nudity was taboo in religious paintings, but because Michelangelo wanted to please Pope Julius II (who hired him) he decided to paint over his last few months' worths of work on The Last Judgement with new figures depicting people in poses which were deemed acceptable by church officials. IX.

X. The Vatican Is Hiding One Of Its Mysteries From You

In addition to being one of the most famous paintings in history, Michelangelo's work on Pope Julius II's chapel is also full of secrets that few visitors see. If you're as interested in seeing these details as much as you are seeing The Creation Of Adam, check out 10 Secrets of The Sistine Chapel You Probably Didn't Know. It'll tell you how to find these tiny masterpieces that hide all over the church. Enjoy!