Cappella Paolina, Rome, Italy

Standing: High · Heritage site
Rank: Rank 345 of 11,535

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

About Cappella Paolina

The Cappella Paolina (Pauline Chapel) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, separated from the Sistine Chapel by the Sala Regia. It was commissioned in 1538 by Pope Paul III and completed in 1540 to the design and under the supervision of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger; Paul III dedicated it to the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul. It served as both the Chapel of the Sacrament and the Chapel of the Conclave: before a conclave the College of Cardinals assembles here before withdrawing to the Sistine Chapel. A restoration begun in 2002 was finished in 2009. The chapel is not on any of the regular tourist itineraries.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

What's inside

The chapel holds Michelangelo's last paintings, the frescoes The Conversion of Saul and The Crucifixion of St Peter, painted from 1542 to 1549 at the height of his fame. Contemporary audiences widely viewed them as disappointments, because they did not follow the compositional conventions of the time and depicted their subjects in an unorthodox way, and they were long overlooked in favour of his works in the nearby Sistine Chapel. S. J. Freedberg noted that they show a change in style away from grace and aesthetic effect towards illustrating the narrative. Other paintings in the chapel are by Lorenzo Sabbatini and Federico Zuccari, and the background statues are by P. Bresciano.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

Place details and sources

Building: Chapel OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Type of place: Place of worship OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Heritage designation: national monument of Italy Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Architectural style: Renaissance architecture Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Religion: Christian OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Denomination: Catholic OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Architect: Antonio da Sangallo the Younger Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article: Cappella Paolina Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09

View on Wikidata

Common questions

Can visitors see the Cappella Paolina?

It is not on any of the regular tourist itineraries of the Vatican.

Which Michelangelo works are in the chapel?

The frescoes The Conversion of Saul and The Crucifixion of St Peter, painted from 1542 to 1549 and his last paintings.

Where it is

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Nearby

Within 2 min on foot

45 min
1 min walk
Sistine Chapel
- Must see
- Historic site
45 min
2 min walk
Apostolic Palace
- Must see
- Historic site
45 min
2 min walk
St. Peter's Basilica
- Must see · Heritage site
- Historic site