VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Sistine Chapel has a brighter, cooler new look.
The Vatican on Wednesday unveiled a state-of-the art illumination and air conditioning system designed to better show off the chapel’s precious frescoes and protect them from the dirt, dust and sweat of the nearly 6 million people who marvel at them every year.
The three-year, 3 million euro ($3.8 million) project was undertaken because the existing air conditioning system, installed 20 years ago when only 1.5 million people visited annually, was unable to maintain the humidity and temperature levels needed to keep the frescoes safe.
Vatican Museums director Antonio Paolucci said it was fitting that the Vatican was marking the 450th anniversary of Michelangelo’s death “with something durable, not ephemeral.”
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