Cappella Sistina

Vatican City isn’t the only place home to a Sistine Chapel. A smaller, yet similarly beautiful Cappella Sistina, which was also commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV, lies in the heart of the Italian City of Savona.

Unlike the more-famous Sistine Chapel, Pope Sixtus IV’s purpose in ordering the construction of this chapel was to build a suitable final resting place for his parents, Leonardo della Rovere and Luchina Monleone. In 1481, work began to alter and amend aspects of the pre-existing Franciscan Convent, where Sixtus IV’s father had already secured a spot for his family’s tomb. 

The chapel has had a number of beautiful paintings depicting various religious scenes added over the years to the interior, and it’s directly next to the larger cathedral, Duomo di Savona. The exterior of the chapel is also painted in a faux-architecture style fresco. 

Sixtus IV’s parents were from Savona, and although it was renovated in the 18th century by Francesco Maria—who was a descendant of the Della Rovere family—their tomb within remains one of the only aspects of the chapel which has remain unchanged over the previous six centuries. 

The Cappella Sistina remains one of Savona’s most beloved landmarks, and is currently used as a place of worship, as well as for concerts and events.