Take a 3D Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and Other Art-Adorned Vatican Spaces

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:30:58 GMT

Source: www.openculture.com --- Friday, May 24, 2013
Forget the airports, the ticket lines, and the crowds. Now you can step right into the Vatican’s most sacred spaces and inspect the wonders of Renaissance art and architecture with just a click of a mouse. The Vatican has posted a series of virtual tours created by students and faculty in the communication and computing science departments at Pennsylvania’s Villanova University . The four Papal Basilicas are included, along with the smaller Sistine and Pauline chapels. Here are six links to six amazing virtual tours: Basilica of St. Peter : Designed by Michelangelo and others, St. Peter’s is the focal point of the Vatican, and perhaps the most famous example of Renaissance architecture. You can scroll up and down to inspect the walls and ceilings–including the famous dome–and zoom in for a close look at Michelangelo’s masterpiece the Pietà or Bernini’s ornate canopy, or baldachin , over the Papal Altar. The Sistine Chapel : The most famous building in the Vatican, after St. Peter’s, is the Sistine Chapel, a part of the Pope’s official residence, the Apostolic Palace. Frescoes by Raphael, Bernini, Botticelli and others adorn the walls–and on the ceiling, one of the great masterpieces in the history of art: Michelangelo’s early 16th century depiction of scenes from the Book of Genesis, covering some 12,000 square feet. On a walking tour you would barely have enough time to recognize some of the major scenes. With this virtual tour ...

God's jewels by Saul Zanolari as he recreates the Sistine Chapel

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Source: dianepernet.typepad.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
SAUL ZANOLARI God-Gravity, Sistine Chapel, 2013 240 x 300 cm Digital Fresco Above is part of Saul's third painting composing the Sistine Chapel, 2013. "It's the first God (of 4) here in his Indian version representing the Gravity. He's wearing jewels and holding Sun, Moon and Earth. " Later, Diane ...

Sistine Chapel 'has become haven for pickpockets'

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:20:23 GMT

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk --- Monday, May 20, 2013
Its frescoed walls and ceiling by Michelangelo make it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, but the Sistine Chapel has also become a haven for pickpockets, guides have warned. ...