The world officially has a new pope in Robert Francis Prevost, the first American ever to become pontiff, and with his appointment will return the Sistine Chapel, which has been closed to the public for over a week while some 133 cardinals were gathered in a conclave.
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is run by the Vatican Museums, which are among the most widely visited art institutions in the world, with 6.8 million attendees recorded in 2024 alone, according to a recent Art Newspaper survey.
But the museums, which hold priceless paintings by Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, and many more, have been closed to the public since April 28 in preparation for the gathering of the conclave. That gathering ended up lasting only two days, and began earlier this week, less than a month after the death of Pope Francis.
A pop-up on the Vatican Museums website currently notes that the institutions have been closed indefinitely since April 28. The museums have not yet formally announced a reopening date.
On Instagram, the museums have been posting artworks from its collection related to the gathering of the conclave. Just a few hours ago, the museums posted an image of Perugino’s Delivery of the Keys, a 1481–82 painting held in the Sistine Chapel. The painting shows Peter receiving the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven from Jesus Christ. The museums wrote that it depicts “the moment when everything begins.”
“The keys are not symbols of power, but of trust,” the museums noted. “Those who receive them are called to serve, to guard, to guide.”
The Sistine Chapel, the crown jewel of the Vatican Museums, is considered one of the most important works of the Renaissance. Covering its walls and ceiling are paintings of moments from the Old and New Testament, including a famed representation of the creation of Adam. The conclave gathered beneath The Last Judgement, Michelangelo’s 1536–41 fresco showing the Second Coming of Christ.
Yesterday, as the conclave got going, the Vatican Museums wrote on Instagram, “The Sistine Chapel symbolizes the doctrine of the Catholic Church.” The museums added, “Time is suspended. The World waits. History holds its breath.”
