The Sistine Chapel, with Michelangelo's magnificently painted domed ceiling, is perhaps the greatest single masterpiece of the Renaissance era. In its transcendent beauty, the ceiling merges art with philosophy, religion and the spirit of brilliance embodied by its creator - Michelangelo Buonarroti.
Painted single-handedly over a grueling four-year period, the Sistine Chapel represents the deepest essence of both the artist's personal and religious expression. In the nine panels that span the vast dome, Michelangelo depicts the cataclysmic events of the bible's book of Genesis - from the Creation of Earth, to the Sibyls and Prophets, and culminating in his vivid interpretation of the Apocalypse and the coming of Christ.