«Страшный суд» в Сикстинской капелле сохранился в отличном состоянии.

The restoration of Michelangelo's Last Judgment began with the installation of new scaffolding at the Sistine Chapel on February 25, 2026. Barbara Jatta (Director of the Vatican Museums & Cultural Heritage) stated that the cleaning project must be ready before Easter, but the Sistine Chapel will remain open to both religious and non-religious guests until all the restorations are completed. The conservationists from the Vatican Museums' Restoration of Wall Paintings and Wooden Materials Laboratory will be using temporary scaffolding to carry out their restoration of Michelangelo’s painting of God’s Last Judgment. The artwork is painted on the upper section of the whole wall over the altar (Last Judgment = Giudizio Universale).As part of an effort to assist individuals visualize the original appearance of Michelangelo's extraordinary masterpieces, a screen replica of The Last Judgement will be illuminated and placed in front of the scaffolding that assisted in placing this restoration and restorer. The entire placement (scaffolding, illumination and artist representation) has been planned jointly by the Directorate of Infrastructure & Services Engineer Salvatore Farina and the Governorate of the Vatican City State. This will represent a beautiful experience for visitors to the Sistine Chapel. Equally complex to maintain & restore, all phases of restoration for The Last Judgement will be funded by the Florida Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts at the Vatican Museums. The dedicated patrons, under the direction of Mary Viator, have provided funding assistance for this wonderful project as it holds such close religious and/or artistic/cultural significance.According to the Director of the Museum, this important project will enable us to maintain a photographic record of all stages of the profession from a photographic laboratory located within the Vatican Museums, as well as to keep an archival record of that process by taking photos of every stage of the profession. Additionally, the cleaning will show an amazing record to document how each layer of paint (which cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope) will be removed, thereby allowing the original colours of Michelangelo to be seen in their full vibrancy, just as they were when first applied; it has nearly been 30 years since the last conservation effort occurred for the restoration of the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museums had engaged Carlo Pietrangeli (former director general of the Vatican Museums) as his last advisor before releasing a museum exhibition exhibit last year. The last work on restoring this incredible piece of art was done by Gianluigi Colalucci (Vatican Museums' Chief Restorer, Painting and Wood Restoration). Once this work was complete, all the people around the world will be able to appreciate Michelangelo's beautiful artwork in its entirety, and have an appreciation for the greatness of Michelangelo's vision.On February 23, 2026, the Vatican Museums released a press release describing this major and complicated maintenance project and also stated that various other people with histories of major accomplishments have given important insights regarding their projects. Fabrizio Biferali, Curator (15th–16th Century Paintings), explained that the *Last Judgment*, painted in 1536 under the Papacy of Paul III Farnese, was completed at the end of its five years of work in 1541. As shown in *The Life of Michelangelo Buonorrati*, written by Ascanio Condivi, on the last day of the world, Pope Paul III Farnese was so overwhelmed by the masterpiece’s debut that he fell to his knees before it, and he begged the Lord to forgive him for all the sins of his life throughout all of human history.According to Paolo Violini, Chief Restorer of the Paintings and Wooden Materials Conservation Laboratory, the patina needs to be removed from the surface of the fresco because the white film created by the patina has compromised the contrast values (i.e., chiaroscuro values) of the fresco, thereby changing the clarity of color (i.e., chromatic value) of the fresco. The patina is removed by brushing off deionized water with a double layer of Japanese tissue paper. The use of deionized water allows complete removal of the deposits and foreign materials so that the original paint layer can be restored, while preserving the overall condition of the paint as it was originally made. Prior to commencing this intervention, extensive scientific testing, complete photographic documentation of the condition of the work and a thorough assessment of the condition of the work were performed to establish a body of evidence that will be used to determine whether or not the methods developed to treat the work will be appropriate for treating the work.The Conservator’s Office has been implementing the Ordinary Maintenance Plan since 2010 at the Sistine Chapel, and during the months of January and February, when the museums are closed for visitors, the restorers of paintings and marbles will be working with colleagues who are experts in conservation, diagnostics, logistics, and both the museum staff and the Breton Directorate of Infrastructure and Services to support the maintenance of the frescoes and other decorative elements of the chapel. Conservation activities include observations of the chapel’s frescoes, dusting, inspections of all the air conditioning and lighting systems that have been in use since 2014, etc. Each of these activities requires careful observation and attention to detail in order to create a stable environment for the chapel, provide for the best possible experience for visitors to the chapel, and provide for the best care possible for the art you will find in the chapel.Fabio Morrese is the director of the Scientific Research Laboratory and believes there is an urgent need for action. "We have now been investigating Michelangelo's works on two occasions," stated Morrese. "Over our time working on these works, we have continually monitored the paint layer for both maximum particle accumulation within the paint layer as well as a number of areas where paint has become white." He goes on to say, "In each case we were able to conduct analysis on each of the white areas to determine their respective material composition as well as potential causes of formation of these whites through a series of scientific tests. The end result is the definitive identification of the molecular structures contained in these materials as calcium lactate." Calcium Lactate is a salt, which forms at the paint's top layer and has a relatively high level of water solubility. The water solubility is a chemical/physical property, which will provide an easy method of removing the salt by using water from the surface of the paint without damaging the pigment underneath.Michelangelo's Last Judgement is the most significant work of art ever created, and will continue to be the first point of reference for any future archaeological and archival work. Based on my research and analysis, I can conclusively prove that by constructing a new type of scaffolding appropriately designed so that we can access the painted surface of the Last Judgement from the adjacent wall, restorers will be able to safely complete restoration on each part of the painted surface without closing the Sistine Chapel to the general public; therefore preserving one of the most important artistic achievements of the past for future generations. Monsignor Terence Hogan Coordinator for Office of Relations with Patrons of the Arts, Vatican Museums