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This week in Christian history: Sistine Chapel ceiling art revealed to public; 'Hacksaw Ridge' debuts

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Twitter

Sistine Chapel ceiling first publicly viewed – Nov. 1, 1512

Michelangelo's
Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" fresco painting at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome, Italy. | Getty Images

This week marks the anniversary of when the famed Renaissance-era ceiling artwork of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, Italy, officially opened to the public for All Saints' Day.

Painted by noted artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, who gained notoriety for his sculptures, the ceiling frescoes depicting various scenes from the Bible took several years to complete.

The most famous is Michelangelo’s depiction of the creation of Adam from the book of Genesis, which shows Adam and God each stretching an arm toward one another.

“After 15 years as an architect in Florence, Michelangelo returned to Rome in 1534, where he would work and live for the rest of his life,” explained History.com.

“That year saw his painting of The Last Judgment on the wall above the altar in the Sistine Chapel for Pope Paul III. The massive painting depicts Christ’s damnation of sinners and blessing of the virtuous and is regarded as a masterpiece of early Mannerism.”

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