Vatican · 25th anniversary of the restoration of the Sistine Chapel (Sixtinische Kapelle)

Issue date1 Oct 2019

Total mintage83,000

EU maximum91,000

Editions3

Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted

InscriptionCITTÀ DEL VATICANO / CAPPELLA SISTINA — FINE DEI RESTAURI / 1994-2019 / R / D. LONGO

DesignerDaniela Longo (Annalisa Masini)

mintInstituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato, Roma

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the completion of the restoration of the Sistine Chapel 25 years ago (1994–2019). The design shows the “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel, surrounded by the inscriptions “CITTÀ DEL VATICANO” and “CAPPELLA SISTINA — FINE DEI RESTAURI” as well as the years “1994-2019”.

The design

The Last Judgment is depicted in the Sistine Chapel. On the left, the inscription of the issuing state, “CITTÀ DEL VATICANO”, is visible in a semicircle. On the right, the inscriptions “CAPPELLA SISTINA — FINE DEI RESTAURI” and the years “1994-2019” are arranged in a semicircle. The mint mark “R” is also located on the right, and the artist’s name “D. LONGO” is shown at the bottom.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the coin’s outer ring.

Background on the topic

The Sistine Chapel (Sixtinische Kapelle) is part of the Apostolic Palace (Apostolischer Palast) in the Vatican (Vatikan). It was built under Pope Sixtus IV in the late 15th century and named after him. To this day, it serves for papal services and as the site of the conclave, at which the cardinals elect a new pope. Its decoration therefore combines the religious imagery of the Renaissance with central functions of the papacy.

The side walls were painted by artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino and Domenico Ghirlandaio with scenes from the lives of Moses and Christ. On the commission of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo created the ceiling frescoes between 1508 and 1512. At the centre are depictions from the Book of Genesis, including the Creation of Adam. More than two decades later, Michelangelo returned to paint the altar wall with the “Last Judgment”. The work was created under Popes Clemens VII and Paul III and depicts Christ as Judge of the World, surrounded by saints as well as resurrected, saved and damned people.

Over the centuries, dust, soot and deposits had accumulated on the frescoes. Earlier interventions and overpainting were also present. A comprehensive restoration began in 1980, initially on smaller sections of the walls, and was subsequently extended to the ceiling and the altar wall. Restorers removed layers of dirt and earlier coatings, stabilised endangered areas and examined Michelangelo’s painting technique.

The result revealed a significantly brighter and more intensely coloured decoration than had previously been perceived. At the same time, the measures gave rise to scholarly debates: critics feared that details executed by Michelangelo might have been lost during the cleaning; others pointed to the insights gained into his fresco technique. Later overpainting, including individual concealing draperies on originally nude figures, was partly preserved as evidence of the history of reception.

The restoration anniversary gave the Vatican an opportunity to recall both Michelangelo’s work and the task of preserving a heavily used ecclesiastical and cultural site.