Vatican Museums

General Overview

The Papal Palaces and the Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums, located in the heart of the Vatican City, are among the world’s most prestigious and extensive museum complexes. Housed within the Papal Palaces—masterpieces of Renaissance architecture in themselves—they hold an exceptional collection accumulated over centuries by the popes.
With 12 museums, 1,400 rooms, and a 7-kilometer itinerary, they offer a journey through the history of art, from Ancient Egypt to the contemporary era. Visitors can admire treasures such as ancient sculptures, frescoes, mosaics, paintings by masters like Michelangelo and Raphael, as well as unique ethnological objects. Iconic spaces such as the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, and the Borgia Apartments, adorned with magnificent frescoes, attract millions of visitors every year. For an optimal experience, it is advisable to plan your visit in advance, focusing on major sections to navigate effectively through this unparalleled artistic and historical universe.

List of the Vatican Museums

• Pinacoteca: Features paintings from the Middle Ages to the modern era, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Titian, and Veronese.
• Pio-Clementino Museum: Displays renowned ancient sculptures, such as the Laocoön, and includes the Octagonal Courtyard.
• Chiaramonti Museum: Showcases nearly 1,000 statues and busts, mainly of Roman emperors, in a majestic gallery.
• Gregorian Egyptian Museum: Dedicated to Egyptian and Assyrian art, featuring mummies, sarcophagi, and ritual objects.
• Gregorian Etruscan Museum: Highlights Etruscan artifacts, including ceramics, bronzes, and jewelry.
• Gregorian Profane Museum: Brings together works from Ancient Rome, including mosaics from the Baths of Caracalla.
• Pio Cristiano Museum: Dedicated to early Christian and medieval art, with sarcophagi and religious sculptures.
• Collection of Modern Religious Art: Exhibits contemporary religious-themed works, housed in the Borgia Apartments.
• Missionary Ethnological Museum: Displays worship objects from religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism.
• Museum of the Vatican Apostolic Library: Preserves rare manuscripts and the Vatican Secret Archives.
• Carriage Museum: Displays carriages, automobiles, and sedan chairs used by the popes.
• Philatelic and Numismatic Museum: Presents Vatican stamps and coins since 1929, along with collections from the Papal States.

Iconic Sections of the Papal Palaces

Sistine Chapel

Vault of the Sistine Chapel

Adorned with frescoes by Michelangelo (1508–1512), including the ceiling depicting Genesis and the Last Judgment, complemented by works from Perugino and Botticelli.

→ Read the page on the Sistine Chapel

Raphael Rooms

Four rooms painted by Raphael (1508–1525), including The School of Athens in the Room of the Signature, depicting historical and religious themes.

The School of Athens, Room of the Signature

→ Read the page on the Raphael Rooms

Borgia Apartments

Decorated by Pinturicchio (1492–1494) for Alexander VI, these six rooms combine Renaissance frescoes with modern religious art.
These are late 15th-century apartments that house part of the Museum of Modern Religious Art. The frescoes decorating the rooms were created between 1492 and 1494 by Pinturicchio’s workshop. They were intended as the private residence of Pope Alexander VI Borgia and his family.

Gallery of Maps

Features cartographic frescoes of Renaissance Italy, noted for their remarkable precision.

→ Read the page on the Gallery of Maps

Gallery of the Candelabra

Displays antique sculptures and objects in an elegant setting.

Gallery of Tapestries

Brings together Renaissance tapestries illustrating religious and historical scenes.

Conditions of visit and informations

Tickets to visit the Vatican Museums

Articles about the Vatican Museums

• Vatican Museums
  General Overview The Vatican Museums, located in the heart of the Vatican City, are among the ...

Articles about the Vatican

• St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican
  Discover the Saint-Pierre Basilica of Rome: visit, description and history. Built on the tomb of ...
• Saint Peter’s Square in Rome
  St. Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro), located in front of the magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica ...
• Vatican Museums
  General Overview The Vatican Museums, located in the heart of the Vatican City, are among the ...

Map and address