Top 10 Things to See at the Vatican Museum
While in Rome, many people choose to make a day trip to Vatican City to visit the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican Museum is often the first place to visit and can be overwhelming because of the sheer number of art pieces to explore. If you are visiting and want to know what not to miss, we’ve come up with a list of the top 10 things to see at the Vatican Museum.
Most people don’t realize just how extensive the Vatican Museums are.
It displays nearly 20,000 works of art, and if all parts of the museum were arranged end to end, it would be 9 miles long!
The museums were founded in the early 16th century by Pope Julius II as a way for him to display his collection of classical sculptures.
He hired Raphael to decorate his private apartments and Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel.
As time passed, more popes contributed to the collection, bringing it to its current state.
top 10 things to see at the Vatican Museum
There is just no way to see every piece at the Vatican when you are visiting for just a few hours.
That is why it is essential for visitors to know which pieces to prioritize.
1. Egyptian Artifacts in the Gregorian Egyptian Museum
The Gregorian Egyptian Museum began with Pope Gregory XVI in 1839 and houses a vast collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts.
In the 9 rooms, you will find various Sarcophagi (decorated stone coffins), funerary objects, and mummified bodies.
2. Sarcophagus of Saint Helena (Pio Clementino Museum)
It is believed that this once held the remains of Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who died around 335 A.D, but was probably designed for a male member of the family based on the military reliefs on the sides.
3. Statue of Hercules in Bronze (Pio Clementino Museum)
This gilded Greek statue of Hercules features him as a young man leaning on his club, with the skin of a lion over his arm, and the apples in his left hand.
The statue was found buried with the remains of a lamb, under a piece of travertine that read “Fulgur Conditum Summanium,” signifying that it had once been struck by lightning (a divine happening).
A similar statue appears in the Capitoline Museum.
4. Resurrection Tapestry (Gallery of Tapestries)
This tapestry is one of a series, “The Life of Christ,” and is the largest one in the Vatican Museum.
It was designed in Brussels by Peter Van Aelst in the 16th century.
What makes this one of the top 10 things to see at the Vatican Museum is that Van Aelst created an optical illusion in the tapestry, making it appear that Christ’s eyes follow the observer from right to left.
5. Disputation of the Holy Sacrament (Raphael Room)
This fresco was one of the first installations that Pope Julius II commissioned from Raphael.
This painting, like much of what is inside the Vatican, is done to teach religious truths to the onlooker.
The curvature of the painting places the focus on the holy trinity.
God, who angels surround, sits at the top, Jesus on the throne appears just beneath, and at the feet of Jesus is the dove that represents the holy spirit.
Raphael has placed the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit directly above the Holy Eucharist, indicating they are not only interconnected but centered, representing how this should be the center of everyone’s life.
6. School of Athens (Raphael Room)
The fresco by Raphael shows Plato & Aristotle surrounded by a congregation of ancient philosophers, mathematicians, and scientists.
Plato appears focused on the things from above, while Aristotle gestures to the earth below, showing the dichotomy between spiritual and secular thinking.
8. Pinecone Courtyard
This courtyard at the Vatican gets its name from the large bronze pinecone that sits atop the staircase created by Michelangelo.
In the open courtyard is a second bronze sculpture that should be noted: “Sphere Within Sphere” by Arnaldo Pomodoro.
The sculpture, which was installed in the 1990’s was meant to reflect not only the new amongst the old, but the fragility of the human experience.
9. Battle of Constantine Against Maxentius (Room of Constantine)
This painting showcases the victory of Constantine over Maxentius in 312 AD and led to the establishment of Christianity in the Roman Empire.
As the story goes, Constantine claimed to have had a vision of a Christian symbol, which led him to fight under the protection of God.
While this room is attributed to Raphael, it is believed that he had students actually do the painting.
10. The Victory of Christianity over Paganism
This painting is featured on the ceiling of the same room as the Battle of Constantine Against Maxentius.
While the walls along the side of this room feature Victories for Constantine, the ceiling lets guests know that the ultimate win is for Christendom.
The Vatican Museum is available for tour on your own or with a tour guide.
While it is nice to visit with a guide who knows the best items to see and can explain what you are seeing, you miss on seeing some of the items on this list.
I’ve been to the Vatican Museums several times and love being able to explore on my own.
If you are looking for an audio tour, consider Rick Steves audio tour. You can download it for free and he does a great job of explaining the important historical perspective on the things to see at the Vatican Museum.
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