The Vatican have made an exception for a brief stay of the work of Michelangelo's Renaissance contemporary and rival, Raphael.
Lauren Anthony reports.
All Raphael's tapestries return to Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel may seem as though it has enough masterpieces.
But the Vatican has made the somewhat unusual decision to bring in some more, specifically tapestries belonging to Raphael.
For the first time in centuries, all 12 tapestries designed by the artist have been hung on the lower walls of the chapel, part of celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of his death.
Director of the Vatican Museums Barbara Jatta says they they were always intended to be hung in the Sistine.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF THE VATICAN MUSEUMS, BARBARA JATTA, SAYING: "They were conceived for this space and so we thought that it was the best way to celebrate the 500 years of the death of the divine Raphael in this way.
In this way, in this place (Sistine Chapel), really, a universal place (of importance), not only for visual arts but also for our faith." Raphael is recognized as Michelangelo's Renaissance contemporary and rival.
The tapestries, which were woven in Brussels from his sketches, depict scenes from Christian lore, such as the Stoning of St.
Stephen and St.
Paul Preaching in Athens.
They are back in the Sistine Chapel for the next week, where they lived between the time Michelangelo finished painting the ceiling in 1512, and when he began painting the massive Last Judgment wall behind the main altar in 1536.
All 12, made with silk, wool and gold and silver thread, have been painstakingly restored by Vatican Museum conservationists in the last 10 years.