A Visit to the Sistine Chapel

1197 Words5 Pages
Every epoch of human history leaves its own masterpieces that are able to represent it to the fullest. Such masterpieces are scattered all over the earth and almost every country is proud of its own treasures. It is rather intriguing that people appreciate different objects in different parts of our planet, and there are almost opposite ideas concerning the concept of beauty and criteria that distinguish a piece of art from a thing of every day usage. So, if you ask a person living in China, for instance, and somebody living in the USA about what they consider to be a masterpiece or just about the object that is able to represent the human culture, you will definitely get answers that differ greatly. However, there are creations that are recognized as the embodiments of the universal beauty. Such creations can be found in every branch of art: in literature, music, architecture, pictorial art, architecture, sculpture and all others. To such creations, without a doubt, belong Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, Egyptian pyramids, Venus de Milo and many other masterpieces that constitute our cultural heritage. To this list we are also obliged to add the Sistine Chapel, a cathedral that is not only a religious establishment, but also a museum, displaying the most famous works of the Renaissance artists. Johann Wolfgang Goethe, a genius of literature, expressed his impressions about the chapel in the following way: “Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving” (Goethe, 1787). The Sistine Chapel has a rich history. It was built between 1475 and 1483; it was the time of Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere. The chapel was dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, so it was consecrated on 15th August 1483. The Apostolic Palace is the best-known chapel
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