Editing Sistine Chapel (section)

=== Papal conclave ===
{{Main|Papal conclave}}
One of the functions of the Sistine Chapel is as a venue for the election of each successive pope in a conclave of the [[College of Cardinals]]. On the occasion of a conclave, a chimney is installed in the roof of the chapel, from which smoke arises as a signal. If white smoke appears, a new Pope has been elected. If the smoke is black, no candidate has received the required two-thirds vote, and no successful election has yet occurred. The white smoke is created by burning the ballots alone, while the black smoke is created by burning the ballots with wet straw. Chemical additives are also used for both colors.<ref>Saunders, Fr. William P. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20071111005421/http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/05ws/ws050317.htm The Path to the Papacy]". ''Arlington Catholic Herald'', 17 March 2005. Retrieved on 2 June 2008.</ref>

The first papal conclave to be held at the Sistine Chapel was the [[conclave of 1492]], which took place from 6 to 11 August and saw the election of [[Pope Alexander VI]].

The conclave also provided for the cardinals a space in which they could hear mass, and in which they could eat, sleep, and pass time attended by servants. From 1455, conclaves have been held at the [[Vatican Palace]]; until the [[Western Schism|Great Schism]], they were held at the [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] convent of [[Santa Maria sopra Minerva]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Chambers |first=D. S. |year=1978 |title=Papal Conclaves and Prophetic Mystery in the Sistine Chapel |journal=Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes |volume=41 |pages=322–326 |doi=10.2307/750878 |publisher=The Warburg Institute |postscript=. |jstor=750878|s2cid=195032159 }}</ref> Since 1996, [[John Paul II]]'s [[Apostolic Constitution]] ''[[Universi Dominici gregis]]'' requires the cardinals to be lodged at the [[Domus Sanctae Marthae]] during a papal conclave, but to continue to vote in the Sistine Chapel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ewtn.com/HolySee/Interregnum/domus.asp|title=Interesting Conclave Facts|work=ewtn.com|access-date=9 August 2011|archive-date=12 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712081751/http://www.ewtn.com/HolySee/Interregnum/domus.asp|url-status=live}}</ref>

Canopies for each cardinal-elector were once used during conclaves—a sign of equal dignity. After the new Pope accepted his election, he would give his new name; at this time, the other Cardinals would tug on a rope attached to their seats to lower their canopies. Until reforms instituted by [[Pope Pius X|Pius X]], the canopies were of different colours to designate which cardinals had been appointed by which Pope. [[Pope Paul VI|Paul VI]] abolished the canopies altogether, since, under his papacy, the population of the College of Cardinals had increased so much to the point that they would need to be seated in rows of two against the walls, making the canopies obstruct the view of the cardinals in the back row. Ahead of a conclave taking place to preserve the integrity of the marble floor on the Sistine Chapel, carpenters install a slightly elevated wooden floor alongside a wooden ramp in the entrance for those Cardinals who for one reason or another need to be transported in a wheelchair.