How the Restored Raphael Frescoes Hang over Pope Benedict XVI’s Departure

When the College of Cardinals convenes next month in the Sistine Chapel to elect the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, Michelangelo’s majestic ceiling will hang over them while his Last Judgment passes silent judgment over their deliberations. But a different set of frescoes by a different Renaissance master also hang over the still-puzzling resignation of the pontiff. A conservation team recently completed the 30-year task of restoring Raphael’s Room of Heliodorus, so named for the fresco titled The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple (shown above) and one of the private papal stanza. Pope Benedict XVI claims it is time for him to step down, but I doubt he timed his departure to coincide with the Raphael restoration’s completion. The coincidence, however, provides plenty of visual food for thought about the reign of the former Joseph Ratzinger and its enigmatic end. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "How the Restored Raphael Frescoes Hang over PopeBenedict XVI’s Departure."

[Image: Raphael. The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple (pre-restoration), 1512-1514. Image source.]