Just 20,000

Over the two century history of the Catholic Church it was amassed over 70,000 works of art. Of those, a mere 20,000 are on display at the Vatican Museum. 

The gallery of maps, painted by Ignacio Danti, was commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII, showing regions of Italy as they were in the 16th century.

The Round Room was designed by Michaelangelo Simonetti in 1779. In the centre of this space lined with several Ancient Roman statues is this large red porphyry bath tub originally built for Nero in 64 CE. 

The Gallery of Tapestries features 12 wall size pieces designed by Raphael and created by Belgian weavers. The eyes of Jesus are designed in a way that makes it appear that they ‘follow’ the visitor in the hall. 
While we had only a few hours to visit the museum, to truly appreciate the Vatican Museum could take days. 


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