Sala Regia, State hall in Apostolic Palace, Vatican City.

Sala Regia is a grand reception hall in the Apostolic Palace featuring a barrel vault ceiling adorned with plaster decorations and ornate stucco doors. The space connects multiple important areas of the Vatican, including the Sistine Chapel, the Pauline Chapel, and the Scala Regia staircase.

Construction of this ceremonial hall started under Pope Paul III and finished in 1573 with architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger overseeing the project. This period coincided with major shifts in Vatican architecture, marking a transition between Late Renaissance and Mannerism styles.

The hall's name comes from its use for receiving princes and royal ambassadors. Its walls carry frescoes by Giorgio Vasari, Taddeo and Federico Zuccari, Lorenzo Sabatini and Livio Agresti showing turning points of the Church, among them the Battle of Lepanto and the return of Gregory XI from Avignon. Three panels narrate the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, and one shows Peter II of Aragon offering his kingdom to Innocent III.

Access to this hall is through controlled Vatican routes and passage between different papal areas is possible depending on availability. Visitors should be aware that the space may sometimes be restricted for private ceremonies or official functions.

At the start of a conclave, after a prayer in the Pauline Chapel, the cardinals pass through the Sala Regia on their way to the Sistine Chapel; at the end they use it again to reach the Loggia of the Blessings of St Peter's. In 2016 Pope Francis received the Charlemagne Prize in this hall.