Apostolic Palace

The papal residence and historic heart of the Vatican Museums route, uniting chapels, state rooms, and galleries. Visitors encounter the Borgia Apartment, Raphael’s Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel within its Renaissance fabric. Courtyards and loggias frame processional axes planned since Bramante, while later popes layered décor and collections. A living palace: art, ceremony, and governance under one roof.