Niccoline Chapel, Gothic chapel in Apostolic Palace, Vatican City

The Niccoline Chapel is a rectangular chapel in the Tower of Innocent III, in the oldest part of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. Fra Angelico and his assistants frescoed it around 1447–1448 for Pope Nicholas V: the upper register shows the life of St. Stephen, the middle register the life of St. Laurence, and the blue starry vault holds the Four Evangelists. Eight Doctors of the Church are painted in niches on the walls.

Pope Nicholas V commissioned this private chapel between 1447 and 1455, selecting Fra Angelico to create its interior decorations. The chapel was built within a medieval tower that had been constructed during the time of Pope Innocent III.

The frescoes show the lives of two early Christian deacons and connect the ancient churches of Jerusalem and Rome through their parallel stories.

A visit requires advance arrangements through specialized group tours, as the chapel is not included in the standard Vatican Museums itineraries. Plan time to examine the detailed frescoes at leisure without rushing.

The chapel sits in the Tower of Innocent III, in the oldest part of the Apostolic Palace, next to the Raphael Rooms. Payment orders for Fra Angelico's frescoes are recorded between 9 May and 1 June 1447, and the decoration was finished by the end of 1448. Vasari mentions a Deposition altarpiece by the artist, of which no trace survives.