Apostolic Palace

The Apostolic Palace is the official papal residence in Vatican City and serves as the administrative and residential centre of the Holy See. It contains papal apartments, private chapels and a number of famous decorated rooms and chapels.

Public visitors typically reach parts of the palace by visiting the Vatican Museums, which include the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s ceiling and Last Judgment. The decorated state rooms and chapels are major draws for visitors interested in Renaissance art and papal history.

The palace evolved over several centuries on the site northeast of St. Peter’s Basilica, with major artistic commissions and renovations during the Renaissance and later papacies. Rooms such as the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel date from the early 16th century and reflect the papacy’s patronage of the arts.

The Apostolic Palace stands immediately adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica within Vatican City and is accessed by visitors entering the Vatican Museums complex.

• Visitor access: Public access to the palace's decorated rooms is via the Vatican Museums; the Sistine Chapel is reached at the end of the museum route.
• Restricted areas: Areas such as the Papal Apartments remain private and are not open to general visitors except on special occasions.

What to See #

• Sistine Chapel: The Sistine Chapel contains Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes painted between 1508 and 1512 and is accessed by visitors through the Vatican Museums.
• Raphael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello): The Raphael Rooms are a suite of papal reception rooms decorated by Raphael and his workshop in the early 16th century, open to the public via the museum route.
• Papal Apartments: The Papal Apartments are the private residential rooms of the pope located within the palace; they are generally not open to the public.