Witnesses to the conclave

Since the Sistine Chapel’s first conclave in 1492, every papal election since 1878 has taken place there. Over centuries, Michelangelo’s figures have stood witness as cardinals have gathered to decide the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Kwon Keun-young The author is a staff writer for the JoongAng Ilbo.

The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City stood silent on Tuesday, awaiting the start of the papal conclave. Known for its ceiling fresco, depiction the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the imposing piece, "The Last Judgment" (1541), behind the altar — both painted by Michelangelo — the chapel draws more than 5 million visitors annually. But this week, the doors were sealed to the public.

Beginning in the afternoon of May 7, the chapel will host the solemn ritual of electing a new pope. One hundred and thirty-three cardinals will cast their votes in secrecy until a candidate secures a two-thirds majority. Each cardinal will approach the altar, declare an oath and deposit a completed ballot into a chalice. Towering above them on the altar wall is Michelangelo’s "The Last Judgment," a depiction of divine reckoning.

A detail from Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. [SISTINE CHAPEL]

Painted nearly five centuries ago, the fresco evokes a future yet to come. Christ presides at the center of the scene, judging the souls of the dead. To his right, the Virgin Mary averts her gaze, her intercession for humanity having ended. Below them, Saint Bartholomew holds the flayed skin symbolic of his martyrdom — its face, a self-portrait of Michelangelo.

Angels lift the saved toward heaven while the damned are dragged into hell by demons. Nearly 400 figures fill the scene in a swirling crescendo of salvation and despair. The composition captures not only Michelangelo’s command of the human form but also his vision of divine justice.

Michelangelo was 61 when Pope Clement VII commissioned the work. The pope died before its completion, and as a conclave convened in a nearby chapel to elect his successor, the artist continued his labor in the Sistine Chapel. The "Last Judgment" was completed in 1541, under Pope Paul III.

Since the Sistine Chapel’s first conclave in 1492, every papal election since 1878 has taken place there. Over centuries, Michelangelo’s figures have stood witness as cardinals have gathered to decide the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Now, once again, the chapel awaits its role in a moment of spiritual and historical gravity. As ballots are cast and the world watches for white or black smoke, one cannot help but wonder: Who will "The Last Judgment" behold next?

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.