CT News
March 7, 2026 : The Vatican Museums have begun extraordinary cleaning of Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel.
Experts discovered a thin white film caused by calcium lactate—formed from the perspiration of millions of visitors—which had dulled the painting’s colors. Using careful techniques, including deionized water and Japanese paper, restorers are cleaning the surface to restore the brilliance of Michelangelo’s masterpiece.
Despite the ongoing work, the Sistine Chapel will remain open to pilgrims and visitors, with the restoration expected to be completed in time for Holy Week.
About the awesome masterpiece
The great and celebrated wall behind the altar, was commissioned from Michelangelo in 1533 by Pope Clement VII and begun under Pope Paul III.
With its 180 square metres of painted surface and the 391 figures that animate it, the work was completed in the autumn of 1541.
When the Pope celebrated Solemn Vespers on October 31st that year, before the masterpiece, all who saw it were “filled with awe and wonder.”
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