Vatican Museums Niccoline Chapel Mask Cabinet and Sistine Chapel Private Tour

Vatican Museums Niccoline Chapel Mask Cabinet and Sistine Chapel Private Tour

The Niccoline Chapel is a chapel in the Apostilic Palace inside Vatican City. The chapel is a small jewel, in part because of the stunning, well-preserved frescos by Fra Angelico.Pope Nicholas V had it built for use as his private chapel. The chapel is located in the Tower of Innocent III, which is the most ancient part of the Apostolic Palace.The frescoes by Fra Angelico are the only remaining works by the artist from his 5 years in papal service. The Cabinet of the Masks another one of the Vatican Secret Rooms and not visitable on a normal entry or tour of the Vatican museums.The Room of the Masks, also called the Cabinet of the Masks, is a small square room that's named for the tiny mosaic tiles in the floor, which came from Emperor Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. The mosaics depict theater masks. One of the things that makes a visit to the Cabinet of the Masks so special is being able to enter, and pass through, the animal room, sometimes affectionately nicknamed “The Stone Zoo”.

Itinerary
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Stop At: Vatican City, Vatican City, Lazio

The Vatican City boasts countless great museums, with extensive art collections attracting thousands of visitors everyday. Inside these galleries we can admire classical sculptures and masterpieces of the Renaissance art. Inside the Vatican Museums a vast number of art pieces and amazing architectures can be admired, belonging to different persiods, cultures and countries from all over the world. One of the biggest exhibition spaces inside the Vatican is the Pio-Clementine Museum, built in the 18th century as ordered by Pope Julius II to host countless Ancient Greek and Roman collections belonging to the Papacy. Among these priceless pieces lies an uncompared Renaissance architecture, commissioned by the same Pope Julius II at the start of the 16th century to link the Belvedere Palace of Pope Innocent VIII to the city of Rome. The Niccoline Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. It is especially notable for its fresco paintings by Fra Angelico and his assistants, who may have executed much of the actual work. The name is derived from its patron, Pope Nicholas V, who had it built for use as his private chapel. The chapel is located in the Tower of Innocent III, in the most ancient part of the Apostolic Palace. The walls were decorated by Fra Angelico with images of two of the earliest Christian martyrs; the upper level has Episodes from the Life of St. Stephen, and the lower one Scenes from the life of St. Laurence. The vault is painted blue, decorated with stars, and features figures of the Four Evangelists in the corners. The pilasters are decorated with the eight Doctors of the Church. This tour also includes another "hidden" Museum: the Cabinet of the Masks which offers a unique experience to our clients. You will you see the highlights of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with an engaging and knowledgeable private guide: the cherry on the cake will be the exclusive visit to the Cabinet of the Masks. This area is part of the Museums, but is usually closed to the general public.
This constitutes an exclusive area of the galleries, whose name comes from the beautiful Roman mosaics depicting masks that adorn its floor. Your tour will continue with the gem of the Vatican, Michelangelo’s masterpiece Sistine Chapel. Only visitors who has been granted a special access have the privilege to walk this precious staircase. ****If you want to be among those few priviledged visitors, do not hesitate to check out our “Tours of the Vatican with Restricted Areas” and discover how to visit the Vatican with a Private Guide, entering most of the restricted areas of the Museums!

Duration: 3 hours