Among the great artists that have worked in the Vatican, the name of Raphael shines the brightest and in fact, it’s here that he left some of his most beautiful work.
It was the palace architect Bramante -a relative of Raphael- who first spoke to Pope Julius II about the as-yet-unknown young artist; the pope was immediately impressed. Raphael’s extraordinary talent already shined brightly despite his tender age and he soon conquered the trust and admiration of everyone.
His works here can be considered the jewels of the Vatican Museums. Pope Julius II had, in fact, asked Raphael to decorate some of the more important rooms of the Apostolic Palaces, including the official reception halls of the Vatican but, above all, the pope’s private apartments.