Jesus gets a makeover as Sistine Chapel artwork undergoes restoration

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February 2, 2026 10:16 AM EST

FILE PHOTO: Cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel - which has Michelangelo's soaring Last Judgment on one wall - to begin the conclave in order to elect a successor to Pope Benedict March 12, 2013. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano/File Photo

VATICAN CITY, Feb ⁠2 (Reuters) - Sometimes ⁠even ‍God needs a bit of a makeover.

Michelangelo's "Last Judgment", a Renaissance masterwork in ‍the Vatican's Sistine Chapel that depicts the ​Second Coming of Jesus, is undergoing its first ​restoration in 30 years.

Experts will work over three months to remove decades of built-up particles that have obscured the ​colours of the artwork, the Vatican said in a press release.

"The new intervention... ​will allow the removal of these deposits and the consequent recovery ‌of the chromatic and luministic quality desired by Michelangelo," it said.

The Sistine ​Chapel, famous as the site ⁠of the secret conclave where the world's Catholic cardinals vote to select ‌new popes, sees millions of visitors each year as part of the Vatican Museums.

The chapel will ‌remain open during the restoration. But the fresco itself, ‌showing Jesus delivering his final judgment of humanity, will be covered by scaffolding.

Visitors will instead be able ‍to see a high-definition reproduction of the artwork, the Vatican said.

The chapel ⁠is also home to many other frescoes, including Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" on its ceiling. Those will still be on display.

(Reporting by Joshua McElweeEditing by Gareth Jones)


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