No Michelangelo, but Rome’s other Sistine Chapel is just as impressive

Entering the Sistine Chapel is an exercise in wonder. It is swathed in art, seemingly no expense spared, and there’s barely a soul inside to detract from the visual onslaught.

To anyone who has been to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, this description will not ring quite true. The price for seeing Michelangelo’s Last Judgment and world-renowned ceiling frescos in the Vatican is a torrid experience amid hundreds of jostling, herded bodies.

The impressive dome ceiling in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome.Credit: Getty Images

However, the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel is not the only one in Rome. And the one inside the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, on the Esquiline Hill, is much quieter.

“Sistine”, it turns out, is not a word reserved for a place of transcendent heavenly beauty. It just means that it’s named after a bloke – or, in this case, a Pope – called Sixtus. The chapel in the Vatican was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV in 1473, and the one in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore began construction in 1585 at the command of Pope Sixtus V.

This lesser-known Sistine Chapel may not be adorned by Michelangelo’s masterpieces, but it is still a giddy frenzy of opulence. And, more to the point, one you can walk around and admire at your own unflustered pace.

The Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore dates back to the 5th century AD. It is one of the four Papal Basilicas owned by the Holy See. Its front entrance is a weird hodgepodge, consumed by the modern city, with what appear to be townhouses hemming in the marble facade.

Just as extraordinary … the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. Credit: Getty Images

Once inside, there are soaring Cipollino marble columns and mosaics telling the story of the Jewish people before and after the Ten Commandments. These come amid an unrestrained blizzard of gilding, leading to a mosaic-covered triumphal arch and the boldly baroque high altar.

There’s plenty to see here, not least the supposed relics of the Holy Crib in the Crypt of the Nativity below the high altar, but the Sistine Chapel lies to the right.

Soaring columns and exquisite marble in the interior of Santa Maria Maggiore church.Credit: iStock

Upon entering, there’s an awful lot fighting for attention. Seemingly every colour of marble under the sun has been used to decorate the floors and walls, while the eyes climb towards the dome that ascends through several levels. Green Corinthian columns, statues in niches, jutting stuccoed rims, fresco panels depicting the birth of Jesus and gracefully curving golden archways provide an excessive visual buffet.

The big picture in this giant chapel, designed by Pope Sixtus V’s trusted architect, Domenico Fontana, is intended to strike awe. But the benefit of having virtually nobody inside it is that you can take in the details at your leisure.

The ciborium in Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.Credit: Getty Images

The gilded bronze tabernacle, hoisted aloft by four angels, is essentially a miniature model of the chapel itself. The statue of Sixtus V on his funerary monument has him kneeling in adoration, rather than aggrandised on a throne. On the opposite wall, the statue of Saint Pius V sits on a throne, but something altogether more jolting lies beneath it.

The body of Pius V, small and somewhat shrivelled, lies in a glass coffin. It is dressed in his Papal robes, while a silvery mask protects his face.

This isn’t the Sistine Chapel that anyone comes to Rome to see, but it does sum up what makes Rome such a riveting city to visit. There’s a wealth of second and third-tier attractions – basilicas, ancient ruins, castles and catacombs – that are extraordinary in their own right, yet remain largely ignored.

The gold Tabernacle.

Just in case the opulence of the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore’s Sistine Chapel leaves you feeling cheated of Michelangelo, however, never fear. Elsewhere in the building is the Sforza Chapel, which the Renaissance master started work on at the spritely age of 87. He didn’t live to see it completed, and – surprisingly – it’s relatively drab.

In this case, it’s fine to say you prefer his earlier work and concentrate on the less-celebrated majesty elsewhere.

The details

Visit
Entry to the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore is free. See basilicasantamariamaggiore.va

Fly
Etihad, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Qantas are among the airlines operating one-stop flights to Rome from Sydney and Melbourne.

Stay
The Doria Palace Boutique Hotel, a few steps away from the basilica, offers superior doubles for from €141 ($234), room only. See doriapalace.com

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The writer travelled at his own expense.