- It elects the Pope. Since 1878, the College of Cardinals has met in the Sistine Chapel for the conclave, with a temporary chimney installed on the roof for the black-smoke/white-smoke signal the world watches for.
- Its proportions echo Solomon's Temple. The chapel's dimensions are traditionally said to match those given for the Old Testament Temple of Solomon.
- The ceiling took about four years. Michelangelo worked on it from 1508 to 1512, largely on his own for the physically demanding parts.
- It wasn't originally a blank canvas. The side walls were frescoed by other Renaissance masters — including Botticelli and Perugino — years before Michelangelo arrived.
- A 20th-century restoration caused a stir. Cleaning carried out in the 1980s and 1990s revealed far brighter original colours than anyone expected, sparking debate among art historians about how "clean" was too clean.
- No photography, no exceptions. It's one of the most strictly enforced photography bans anywhere in the world of museums.
