Editing Sistine Chapel (section)

=== Interior of the Sistine Chapel ===
The general proportions of the chapel use the length as the unit of measurement. This has been divided by three to get the width and by two to get the height. Maintaining the ratio, there were six windows down each side and two at either end. Defined proportions were a feature of Renaissance architecture and reflected the growing interest in the Classical heritage of Rome.

[[File:Cappella sistina, ricostruzione dell'interno prima degli interventi di Michelangelo, stampa del XIX secolo.jpg|thumb|left|A reconstruction of the appearance of the west Wall chapel in the 1480s, prior to the painting of the ceiling]]

[[File:Assumption of Mary perugino drawing.jpg|thumb|left|Drawing by [[Pinturicchio]] of Perugino's lost ''Assumption'' in the Sistine Chapel]]
[[File:Sistina con arazzi.jpg|thumb|left|Raphael tapestries in the Sistine Chapel]]

The ceiling of the chapel is a shallow [[cross vault]] (or flattened [[groin vault]]), springing from a continuous [[string course]] that encircles the walls at the level of the window arches. This main vault is intersected transversely by smaller vaults above each window, creating a rhythmic division of the ceiling’s lower sections into a series of [[Spandrel|spandrels]] and [[Lunette|lunettes]]. These elements rise from shallow [[Pilaster|pilasters]] positioned between the windows and contribute to the overall architectural framework of the painted scheme. The four curved triangular sections at the corners of the vault—though not true [[Pendentive|pendentives]] in structural terms—are sometimes referred to as pendentives in art historical literature, owing to their similar shape and transitional function.<ref>{{cite book |last=Seymour |first=Charles |title=Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling |publisher=W. W. Norton & Co. |year=1972 |page=42}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hall |first=James |title=Michelangelo and the Reinvention of the Human Body |publisher=Chatto & Windus |year=2005 |page=55}}</ref> The cross vault was originally painted brilliant-blue and dotted with gold stars, to the design of [[Piermatteo Lauro de' Manfredi da Amelia]].<ref name="Shearman" /> The pavement is in [[opus alexandrinum]], a decorative style using marble and coloured stone in a pattern that reflects the earlier proportion in the division of the interior and also marks the processional way from the main door, used by the Pope on important occasions such as [[Palm Sunday]].

A screen or ''transenna'' in marble by [[Mino da Fiesole]], [[Andrea Bregno]], and [[Giovanni Dalmata]] divides the chapel into two parts.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hersey|1993|p=180}}</ref> Originally these made equal space for the members of the Papal Chapel within the sanctuary near the [[altar]] and the pilgrims and townsfolk without. However, with growth in the number of those attending the Pope, the screen was moved giving a reduced area for the faithful laity. The ''transenna'' is surmounted by a row of ornate candlesticks, once gilt, and has a wooden door, where once there was an ornate door of gilded wrought iron. The sculptors of the ''transenna'' also provided the ''cantoria'' or projecting choir gallery.