It was one of the most iconic images of 2025. Under 'The Last Judgment' by Michelangelo, the cardinals chose Robert Prevost—now Leo XIV—to become the next pope. The painting reminded the cardinals that they too would be judged for their actions.
Now look at Christ in the painting. He has regained his original color, the same one Buonarotti conceived in the 16th century. Until now, this masterpiece had not undergone any maintenance work since the 1990s. But the new clean-up possesses a unique twist.
BARBARA JATTA
Director, Vatican Museums
ORIG. ITALIAN
The extraordinary maintenance of the Sistine Chapel, which will last for five weeks, can remain open to the public while our technicians, restorers, scientists, and curatorial staff work to clean a very thin layer of salt deposits and calcium lactate from Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment.
The goal is to remove all the accumulated dirt, which is actually a thin layer of salt formed from humidity and time.
Vatican Museums has given a simple reason for the maintenance project: the goal is to see The Last Judgment this coming Easter as if Michelangelo had just finished it.
