Many tourists come to the Vatican for one main reason — to see the Sistine Chapel. Even avid travelers are amazed at its size and realistic look. One can look at it endlessly and there are special benches around it for this purpose. It is forbidden to take pictures, and you’re only allowed to whisper when you’re inside the building. Special workers make sure that visitors don’t take pictures, but some people still manage to secretly take a photo of the masterpiece. Also, the same workers periodically say “Silence!” in a warning manner.

The position of “mural cleaner” of the Sistine Chapel officially appeared in 1543. The murals used to fall off due to appearance of cracks and saltpetre it has been restored several times. The walls and ceiling were cleaned of candle soot, dust, and exhaust gases. The last restoration was done about 25 years ago and its biggest part was financed by the Japanese company Nippon Television Network Corporation that spent $4.2 million on it. The Chapel is visited by about 10,000 tourists a day.