See the Raphael Rooms with TravelVatican.com

Come see the magnificent Raphael Rooms in the grand palace of the Vatican in Rome. With TravelVatica.com you can see these incredible artworks for your own eyes and experience the full effect of their timeless beauty. Find all the information you need on our traveling site and make all your travel arrangements online.

The four Raphael Rooms or Stanze di Raffaello as they are called in Italian, are known worldwide for their exquisite frescoes. These unique rooms owe much of their existence to two great rivalries – one artistic and the other religious-politic. The rooms were ordered from the artist by Pope Julius II. The pope did not want to stay in the same residence as his predecessor and long time rival - Pope Alexander VI and by decorating his new apartment with frescoes painted by the famous and highly-esteemed Raphael probably intended to outshine the older rooms frescoed by Pinturicchio.

The other rivalry that made these rooms what they are is Raphael's need to outdo the older, more experienced and admired Michelangelo. It was that need that drove the young and ambitious artist to build his reputation in Rome and create ties with the papacy. It is interesting to note that until today Raphael's creation, though appreciated and highly esteemed, still stands in the shadow of Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel.

Tourist who enter The Stanze from the East side go first through the "Hall of Constantine", which was painted last (1517-1524) and was mostly completed by Raphael's pupils after his sudden early death in 1520. The second room is the "Room of the Segnatura" which was painted in 1508-1511 and includes the breathtaking ceiling fresco "Adam and Eve" which unlike many of the other artworks is attributed to the master himself, and not his talented pupils. "Room of Heliodorus" which follows next was completed in the years between 1511 and 1514 and includes such artworks as The "Mass of Bolsena" and the "Expulsion of Heliodorus" from Jerusalem's Temple. The "Room of the Fire in the Borgo" was frescoed between 1514 and 1517 and includes "The Oath of Leo II" and The "Battle of Ostia".

Even though many of the masterpieces in the Raphael Rooms were not made by the talented and extravagant artist himself, they still served their purpose of promoting the reputation. After all, the names of some of Raphael's pupils like Giulio Romano and Francesco Penni are still well-known, but history named the rooms Stanze di Raffaello and his planning, enthusiasm and reputation that make them such a popular tourist attraction almost 500 years after they were created. For more information regarding the construction and artworks try christusrex.org for more details.