The
Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the
Cappella Magna, the chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and 1481. Since that time, the chapel has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. Today, it is the site of the papal conclave, the process by which a new pope is selected. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescoes that decorate the interior, most particularly the Sistine Chapel ceiling and
The Last Judgment, both by Michelangelo.