Entrance to the Vatican Museums
The construction of the entrance to the Vatican Museums dates back to the beginning of the 1930’s, when together with the birth of the State of Vatican City, there was the need for direct access to the Museums on the Italian territory. Pope Pius XI nominated architect Giuseppe Momo, Director of the Public Works Committee, to be put in charge of the completion of the new entrance. Momo’s idea was to have the principal access to the Vatican Museums on Viale Vaticano and he called upon Pietro Melandri for the execution of the front door.
The Vatican Museums entrance is framed by a cornice of travertine made with two different kinds of marble, the first smooth, and the second with bosses. Melandri enriched the top of the portal with the coat of arms of Pius XI; at the sides of the emblem there are the figures of Michelangelo and Raphael, allegories of sculpture and painting. They hold in their hands the tools of their arts and their position recall the extraordinary Nudes of the Sistine Chapel.
