Paintings Gallery of the Vatican Museums, Art gallery at Vatican Museums, Vatican City
The Pinacoteca within Vatican Museums holds around 460 paintings displayed across 18 rooms in chronological order from medieval times through the 19th century. The collection spans from early religious works to later European artistic movements, showing how painting techniques and artistic approaches developed over many generations.
The collection started in 1793 when Pope Pius VI gathered artworks held in the Vatican at that time. After Napoleon's campaigns, major paintings that had been taken away were returned in 1816, greatly expanding what was on display.
The gallery displays paintings that show how artistic styles and religious imagery changed over many centuries. Walking through the rooms, you can observe how artists approached color, composition, and the depiction of sacred subjects differently as time moved forward.
You enter through the main Vatican Museums entrance, and it helps to move through the rooms in order to follow the chronological arrangement. Since there are many paintings spread across multiple levels, plan for a longer walk and wear comfortable shoes.
A rare group of eight paintings from the 18th century depicts astronomical objects and was commissioned by Count Luigi Marsili. These science-focused artworks come from an era when astronomy and religious art were still closely connected.
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