The Niccoline Chapel ( it, Cappella Niccolina) is a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

in the

Apostolic Palace The Apostolic Palace ( la, Palatium Apostolicum; it, Palazzo Apostolico) is the official residence of the pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and t ...

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

. It is especially notable for its fresco paintings by

Fra Angelico Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his '' Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent".Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...

(1447–1451) and his assistants, who may have executed much of the actual work. The name is derived from its patron,

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene made ...

, who had it built for use as his private chapel. The chapel is located in the Tower of

Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

, in the most ancient part of the Apostolic Palace. The walls were decorated by Fra Angelico with images of two of the earliest Christian martyrs; the upper level has ''Episodes from the Life of St. Stephen'', and the lower one ''Scenes from the life of St. Laurence''. The vault is painted blue, decorated with stars, and features figures of the '' Four Evangelists'' in the corners. The

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s are decorated with the '' eight Doctors of the Church''. The chapel is not included in the usual tourist visit, but can be seen by special pre-booked groups.Dark Rome
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Frescos

Fra Angelico depicted a ''

Deposition of Christ The Descent from the Cross ( el, Ἀποκαθήλωσις, ''Apokathelosis''), or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after hi ...

'' (the removal of Christ from the Cross) on the wall behind the altar, but it has been destroyed. However, his other works in the lunettes are well preserved. San Lorenzo (Beato Angelico)

The scenes of St. Stephen follow the Biblical account in the Acts of the Apostles, while those of St. Laurence are patterned after the older cycles in the basilica of

San Lorenzo fuori le Mura The Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le mura (Papal Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls) is a Roman Catholic Minor papal basilica and parish church, located in Rome, Italy. The Basilica is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome ...

, where he is buried. Stephen was a Greek-speaking Jew, one of the first deacons named in Jerusalem by St. Peter – ''Ordination of St Stephen'' with ''St Stephen distributing Alms'' (lunette). His prayers (''The Prayer of St. Stephen'') earned him the hostility of his opponents in the city, who eventually stoned him to death in front of the city gate. Laurence was a deacon (''Ordination of St Laurence'') to whom Pope

Sixtus II Pope Sixtus II ( el, Πάπας Σίξτος Β΄), also written as Pope Xystus II, was bishop of Rome from 31 August 257 until his death on 6 August 258. He was martyred along with seven deacons, including Lawrence of Rome, during the persecutio ...

had entrusted the Church's treasure in order to give it to the Roman emperor Valerian (''St. Lawrence Receiving the Treasures of the Church''). Lawrence instead divided it among the poor (''St Laurence distributing Alms''), an act for which he was martyred. The frescoes underline the similarities in the lives of the two figures: both were ordained deacons, both gave alms to the poor and both were martyred after a courageous declaration of faith. The choice of the two saints also shows the connection between the Churches of Jerusalem and the Rome. The frescoes, full of fine architectural details, allude also to Nicholas V's desire to rebuild Rome as the new capital city of Christianity. The large walls in the ''Martyrdom of St. Stephen'' hint at the rebuilding of Rome's walls. Further, the schism in the Jewish community in Jerusalem can be compared to the Christian schism witnessed by Nicholas (who is portrayed in the frescoes as Pope Sixtus II).

Gallery

Fra Angelico - View of the chapel vaulting - WGA00600

Left wall

File:Angelico, niccolina 27.jpg, File:Angelico, niccolina 06.jpg, File:Angelico, niccolina 17.jpg, File:Fra Angelico 058.jpg, File:Angelico, niccolina 21.jpg,

Centre wall

File:Angelico, niccolina 08.jpg, File:Fra Angelico 091.jpg, File:Fra Angelico 057.jpg, File:Angelico, niccolina 23.jpg, File:Angelico, niccolina 02.jpg, File:Angelico, niccolina 11.jpg, File:Angelico, niccolina 14.jpg,

Right wall

File:Angelico, niccolina 03.jpg, File:Angelico, niccolina 04.jpg File:Angelico, niccolina 20.jpg File:Angelico, niccolina 24.jpg File:Cappella niccolina, san lorenzo davanti a valeriano e martirio di san lorenzo.jpg, File:Fra Angelico - Martyrdom of St Lawrence - WGA00598.jpg,

References

* * {{coord, 41, 54, 12.24, N, 012, 27, 16.63, E, region:VA_type:landmark_source:itwiki, display=title 1447 paintings 1448 paintings 1449 paintings Fresco paintings in Rome Apostolic Palace Paintings by Fra Angelico Collections of the Vatican Museums

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