Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel (Italian: Cappella Sistina) is the chapel of the Pope in Rome, and the center of the Catholic faith and Papacy.

History[edit | edit source]

Conception[edit | edit source]

Inspired by the architecture of Solomon's Temple, the Sistine Chapel is the most famous room in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope.^[1]

As the Pope's personal chapel, Mass is frequently held inside, as are the Papal Conclaves, which occur after the Pope's death. The cardinals are locked inside the chapel and are not permitted to leave until a new Pope is elected.^[1]

Renaissance[edit | edit source]

In 1492, Rodrigo Borgia became Pope Alexander VI and moved into St. Peter's Basilica, of which the Sistine Chapel is a part. Seven years later, in 1499, Ezio Auditore da Firenze infiltrated the chapel in order to assassinate Rodrigo and locate the Vatican Vault, which he had learned was built beneath the Basilica.^[2]

After an arduous fight with Rodrigo, in which two Pieces of Eden were used, Ezio was tricked and stabbed by Rodrigo, who used the Papal Staff's power to immobilize the Assassin. Rodrigo then seized the Apple of Eden wielded by Ezio, who promptly fell unconscious.^[2]

Upon waking up, Ezio pressed two hidden buttons at the back of the chapel, which opened the way into the Vault, a structure built by members of the First Civilization, whose entrance lay in a pit-like enclosure. It was at this entrance that Ezio would confront Rodrigo in a final, victorious fight.^[2] Soon after the Assassin left the Vault, Mario Auditore appeared and beckoned him to leave the Sistine Chapel, to which Ezio complied.^[3]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Michelangelo's famous ceiling frescoes do not appear inside the Sistine Chapel in Assassin's Creed II, as Michelangelo did not begin work on them until 1508. Strangely, the database explicitly mentions that the frescoes "did not exist yet in 1503", despite the fact that Assassin's Creed II ends in 1499 and does not continue to 1503.