The Sistine Chapel is the geographical and spiritual centre of the Vatican City, but it is also one of the most internationally famous artistic sites. The chapel's outstanding beauty lies above all in its vast cycle of paintings covering the entire vault, featuring stories from the Book of Genesis and the Last Judgement, the grandiose, bustling scene located on the back wall. Michelangelo's masterpieces are what make the Sistine Chapel the most visited place in the world, illustrated in this volume in the minutest detail, so the reader can not only appreciate the works as a whole, but also the artist's creative process. This can be observed in the preparatory marks on the plaster, the brush strokes and occasionally traces left by the painter's actual fingers. A graphic diagram of the vault is a guide to the different parts and scenes depicted. Biographies and an index of artists conclude the volume.