The Catholic Religion: The Sistine Chapel

Marissa Ramirez
The Catholic religion has always been a major power in history, both politically and spiritually. During its reign, it was the responsibility of religious leaders to steer people to the catholic faith; one way to do this was by commissioning painters, sculptors, and architects to create extravagant pieces of art in order to awe its members and clergy. After the completion of the Sistine Chapel, many famous artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Pietro Perugino, and Raphael have been commissioned to paint the walls of the Sistine Chapel. In 1508, Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. While the purpose of the frescos was to relegitimize the papacy, I believe that they accomplished
The catholic religion firmly believes that there is a God, who is the Father, Jesus, who is the Son, and a Holy Spirit. These three divine beings are collectively known as the Holy Trinity. In order for people to feel any sense of spirituality in any space, there must first be the divine presence of the Holy Trinity. The Sistine Chapel is that of catholic popes and high clergy, which would make it the center of Catholicism, signifying that the establishment itself is consecrated. Michelangelo reinforces this holiness by literally embedding godliness into the ceiling. Michelangelo painted nine frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In the bible, Galatians 5:22-23 says that the “Spirit is love, joy, peace. longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control.” Although these nine characteristics may not represent each of the nine frescos, the verse itself helps prove that nine is a holy number. In addition to the verse, nine is a number that is divisible by three whose quotient is also three. The number three also represents the Holy Trinity. In my opinion, representing the Trinity in the frescos is an ingenious and humble way to honor God the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Biblical accuracy is an important aspect to any Christian familiar with the Bible. While he has gained respect amongst large amounts of people for his artistic ability, he must be able to stay accurate with the Bible’s teachings in order to gain the respect of the members of the Roman Catholic Church and its clergy. Michelangelo’s frescos depict stories from the Book of Genesis, which is the first book of the Bible. He begins his frescos with God separating light from dark. Michelangelo’s illustration of the first scene of the bible is accurate and clear to understand. As he continues with his frescos, he portrays scenes such as the Creation of the Sun and the Moon and the Separation of Land and Water. These scenes are also very obvious and easily comprehendible. By representing scenes of the bible in an uncomplicated way, Michelangelo helps his viewers be connected with the Bible, God, and religion. In three frescos, Michelangelo has presented the first half of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis. In the next few frescos, Michelangelo depicts God’s creation of Adam and God’s creation of Eve. Michelangelo presents a brilliant illustrative comparison of Adam and Eve before and after they allowed temptation to cloud their judgement and fell into sin. In my opinion, their creation is especially compelling because it is