Sistine Chapel

American

noun

the chapel of the pope in the Vatican at Rome, built for Pope Sixtus IV and decorated with frescoes by Michelangelo and others.

Sistine Chapel British

/ ˈsɪstaɪn, -tiːn /

noun

the chapel of the pope in the Vatican at Rome, built for Sixtus IV and decorated with frescoes by Michelangelo and others

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Sistine Chapel Cultural

A chapel adjoining Saint Peter's Basilica, noted for the frescoes of biblical subjects painted by Michelangelo on its walls and ceilings. The Creation is one of the notable subjects of the ceiling paintings, and the Judgment Day is depicted on the rear wall of the chapel.

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Michelangelo had to work on his back to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The project took four years to complete.

Etymology

Origin of Sistine Chapel

Sistine, from Italian Sistino relating to Sisto Sixtus (Pope Sixtus IV)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This particular drawing was the first to come to auction boasting a direct link to the artist’s iconic Sistine Chapel ceiling in the Vatican.

From The Wall Street Journal

Experts at Christie's say it is a foot sketch of the Libyan Sibyl which was later painted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

From BBC

Christie’s will test Michelangelo’s draftsmanship by offering up his estimated $1.5 million preparatory drawing of a foot with ties to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal

In October he visited the Vatican for a historic religious service with Pope Leo in the Sistine Chapel.

From BBC

The trip comes weeks after Leo and King Charles III, the titular head of the Church of England, prayed together in the Sistine Chapel—a historic first for the heads of the two churches.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023