Is nothing sacred? Pope hires out Sistine Chapel to Porsche – at same time as limiting ordinary visitor numbers
- Vatican said no more than six million visitors a year would be allowed inside
- This is to protect Michelangelo's fragile frescoes from crowds of tourists
- But space has been hired by Porsche as part of their tour of Rome
- The exclusive tour, priced from 4,590 euros per person, includes a concert inside the chapel
Pope Francis waves today in the Vatican. The Sistine Chapel is where popes are elected in secret
The Vatican has announced that the number of visitors to the Sistine Chapel will be restricted in a bid to protect the fragile frescoes inside - but at the same time, the space has been hired out by Porsche.
The German car manufacturer currently offers an exclusive tour of Rome - complete with access to the Vatican's treasures outside official opening hours.
Priced at more than 4,000 Euros per person, the itinerary includes a concert in the Sistine Chapel - famed for its ceiling painted by Michelangelo.
This is described on the company's website as 'an extraordinary experience'.
The tour also includes a dinner in the midst of the exhibition at the Vatican Museums and a visit to the papal gardens at the Vatican and the Necropolis.
But at the same time, it was announced today that visitors to the Sistine Chapel - where popes are elected in secret conclaves - will be limited to six million a year to protect the delicate frescoes inside.
These have suffered damage by growing crowds of tourists, an official said today.
Visitors to the chapel can reach 20,000 a day in summer, with up to 2,000 people inside at a time.
Dust brought in from outside, body sweat and carbon dioxide pose a major risk to Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes, which are more than 500 years old.
They include one of the most famous scenes in the history of art - the arm of a bearded God reaching out to give life to Adam.
To protect the work of the Renaissance master, the Vatican has installed a new climate control system that will filter the air in the chapel.
There will also be a new high-tech lighting system that will cut damaging heat by more than half.
'I am convinced that the Vatican Museums, in particular the Sistine Chapel, have reached the maximum number of visitors possible,' Antonio Paolucci, head of the Vatican Museums, said at a news conference to introduce the new lighting and climate control systems.
Porsche are offering an exclusive tour of Rome, costing more than 4,000 euros per person, which includes a concert inside the chapel. Pictured, a Porsche Boxster
Paolucci said the current number of six million visitors a year would be the maximum tolerated.
'We did not do all this in order to allow more people into the Sistine Chapel.' Work on the new systems began in June and are expected to be in place by the end of this month.
Michelangelo's frescoes, inaugurated in October 1512 by Pope Julius II, underwent a major 14-year restoration that ended in 1994.
They also include the famous 'Last Judgement' on the wall behind the altar, which the artist painted separately in 1535 and 1541.
Extraordinary: The Sistine Chapel, painted by Italian master Michelangelo, has been hired out by Porsche
The 'Creation of Adam' by Michelangelo Buonarroti on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted in 1512
White smoke comes out from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel indicating that a pope had been chosen
In recent years, art historians and restorers have called for severe limits on the number of tourists allowed to enter the chapel, part of the vast Vatican Museums complex.
Paolucci said the current system - a mix of reservations made through the Internet or travel agencies and queuing up outside - would continue for the time being but did not exclude the possibility of switching to a reservations-only system.
Apart from the potential damage to the frescoes, critics have also said the number of people allowed into the chapel should be reduced for reasons of decorum because it is also a place of worship. But Paolucci appeared to rule this out.
'We all would like the Sistine Chapel miraculously empty ... but we live in the democracy of consumption,' he said.
A view of the Sistine Chapel shows The Last Judgement. The frescoes are a cornerstone of Western art
The Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican, as Pope Benedict XVI baptizes babies during a baptism ceremony
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