The Cappella Paolina (the Pauline Chapel) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City.
It is separated from the Sistine Chapel by the Sala Regia.
It is not on any of the regular tourist itineraries.
Michelangelo's two frescoes in the Cappella Paolina, The Conversion of Saul and The Crucifixion of St Peter were painted from 1542 to 1549, the height of his fame, but were widely viewed as disappointments and even failures by their contemporary audience.
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
They did not conform to the compositional conventions of the time and the subject-matter is depicted in an unorthodox manner.
Despite the importance of the chapel and the significance of their subjects, the frescoes were generally neglected and overlooked in favor of Michelangelo's nearby masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel.
An Italian scholar has recognised Michelangelo's face both in the Saint Paul and Saint Peter paintings by facial superimposition.
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
The chapel was commissioned in 1538 by the order of Pope Paul III and completed in 1540 under the design and supervision of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.
The Cappella Paolina served as both the Chapel of the Sacrament and the Chapel of the Conclave.
Paul III dedicated the chapel to the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, a festival to which he displayed particular devotion.
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Given the ceremonial and personal significance of the chapel, it was to be expected that the Pope would require the services of a great artist for its decoration, and, in the opinion of both the papacy and the people, there was no one greater than Michelangelo.
Even before the unveiling of Michelangelo's Last Judgment, Paul III had already decided that Michelangelo, who desperately wanted to fulfill his contract with the della Rovere for the Tomb of Pope Julius II, must paint the frescoes of the Cappella Paolina.
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
This is shown by a letter dated October 12, 1541 from Cardinal Alexander Farnese, Paul III's nephew, to Bishop Marco Vigerio which discusses the paintings to be carried out in the "New Chapel".
S. J. Freedberg notes that the two frescoes in the Cappella Paolina, Michelangelo's last paintings, begun in November 1542, almost immediately after the Last Judgement, show from the start a major change in style, away from grace and aesthetic effect to an exclusive concern with illustrating the narrative, with no regard for beauty.
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Other paintings in the chapel are by Lorenzo Sabbatini and Federico Zuccari.
The statues in the background are by P. Bresciano.
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Michelangelo's Crucifixion of Saint Peter
The Cappella Paolina, a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
500 metri quadri decorati da un solo uomo in quattro anni di accanito lavoro e che rappresentano la piena espressione degli ideali artistici del Rinascimento.
Tra il 1537-1540 Paolo III fece costruire una nuova cappella privata da Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane con l'ausilio di Perin del Vaga.
Lo stesso papa, al termine dei lavori, vi celebrò personalmente la messa di consacrazione, dedicandola a San Paolo Apostolo.
Michelangelo's Conversion of Saint Paul
La Paolina era ed è tutt'oggi la più privata, la più intima fra i luoghi di culto dei Palazzi Apostolici, ma è anche la cappella che, più della Sistina, è chiamata a rappresentare la missione del Papa, come Pastore della Chiesa universale.
Infatti essa è dedicata ai santi Pietro e Paolo: sul primo riposa la legittimità storica e giuridica dei romani pontefici, mentre il secondo è la "pietra angolare" che insieme sostiene e giustifica la dottrina della Chiesa e il suo mandato ecumenico.
Michelangelo's Conversion of Saint Paul
Qui inoltre, essendo esposto sull'altare il Santissimo Sacramento, il ruolo del Papa come custode del Corpus Christi è perfettamente significato.
La Cappella Paolina è una cappella del Palazzo Apostolico nella Città del Vaticano.
Aveva funzioni di cappella "parva" palatina, cioè piccola in contrapposizione alla cappella "magna", cioè la Cappella Sistina.
Michelangelo's Conversion of Saint Paul
Qui si esponeva il Santissimo Sacramento, ed è separata dalla Cappella Sistina solo dalla Sala Regia.
Deriva il suo nome da papa Paolo III, che la fece progettare, costruire ed affrescare.
Michelangelo's Conversion of Saint Paul
Michelangelo's Conversion of Saint Paul
Michelangelo's Conversion of Saint Paul
Michelangelo's Conversion of Saint Paul
Michelangelo's Conversion of Saint Paul
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