Vatican removes salty white film coating Michelangelo's 'The Last Judgment'

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgement” is getting a facial, with restorers removing a chalky white film of salt that has accumulated over the Renaissance masterpiece since its last major renovation three decades ago.

The Vatican on Saturday gave the media a sneak peak to the cleaning operation, which is taking place on a floor-to-ceiling scaffolding that has obscured the imposing fresco of heaven and hell that dominates the front of the chapel.

The cleaning operation is expected to be completed by Easter, in the first week of April. The public can continue to visit in the meantime, but will have to settle for a reproduction of “The Last Judgment” superimposed on a screen that covers the scaffolding.

Vatican Museum officials on Saturday described a simple but important cleaning operation to remove the white film of salt that has accumulated on the fresco thanks to the nearly 25,000 people who pass through the Vatican Museums each day.

“This salt is created because, above all, when we sweat, we emit lactic acid, and unfortunately lactic acid reacts with the calcium carbonate present on the wall,” said Fabio Moresi, in charge of the scientific research team at the Vatican Museums that is overseeing the cleaning.

Climate change also has a role to play, since the visitors who do come tend to sweat more, creating even more humidity that reacts with the fresco, he said.

Vatican Museums chief Barbara Jatta described the film as a “cataract” that is easy enough to remove: Restorers dip sheets of Japanese rice paper into distilled water and apply them to the fresco, and carefully wipe away the salt film.

Viewed up close on Saturday on the scaffolding, the difference between before and after is remarkable: Sections of the fresco that haven’t been cleaned look as if they are coated in a chalky dust; the cleaned sections show the vibrant colors and detail of the original. On the figure of Jesus, for example, at the center of the fresco, a privileged visitor can see how Michelangelo painted his hair and the wounds of his crucifixion.

The Sistine Chapel is named after Pope Sixtus IV, an art patron who oversaw the construction of the main papal chapel in the 15th century.

But it was a later pontiff, Pope Julius II, who commissioned Michelangelo to paint the famous ceiling, the “Creation of Adam” showing God’s outstretched hand, between 1508 and 1512. A later pontiff, Pope Clement VII, commissioned Michelangelo in 1533 to return to paint “The Last Judgment.”

The other frescos of the Sistine Chapel, where Pope Leo XIV was elected in May, undergo yearly cleaning with restorers working at night on cherry-pickers that can be removed each morning before the public arrives.

But such machines can’t access all of “The Last Judgement,” since the fresco is located behind the altar, which is itself raised up marble steps. That logistical impediment required the mounting of a fixed scaffolding to access the full fresco to clean it.

The Sistine Chapel underwent a complete restoration between 1979 and 1999, when centuries of smoke, grime and wax buildup was removed. The Vatican has left small patches of the pre-restored fresco intact to show the difference, which are now visible on the upper floors of the scaffolding and show a nearly blackened wall.

Rather than radically reduce the number of visitors who can access the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican is studying ways to address humidity levels, through filtration systems and other technologies, so that the salty film doesn't form again.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Journalists report in front of a screen with a replica of “The Last Judgment,” superimposed on it that covers the scaffolding used for its extraordinary maintenance, during the presentation for press in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A screen with a replica of “The Last Judgment,” superimposed on it covers the scaffolding used for its extraordinary maintenance during a presentation for press in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A man walks behind a screen with a replica of “The Last Judgment,” superimposed on it that covers the scaffolding used for its extraordinary maintenance during a presentation for press in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A woman walks behind a screen with a replica of “The Last Judgment,”superimposed on it that covers the scaffolding used for its extraordinary maintenance during a presentation for press in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A screen with a replica of “The Last Judgment,” superimposed on it covers the scaffolding used for its extraordinary maintenance during a presentation for press in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A screen with a replica of “The Last Judgment,” superimposed on it covers the scaffolding used for its extraordinary maintenance during a presentation for press in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Russia on Saturday condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran as “a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state,” demanding an immediate halt to the military campaign and a return to diplomacy.

In a statement posted to Telegram, the Foreign Ministry accused Washington and Tel Aviv of “hiding behind” concerns about Iran’s nuclear program while actually pursuing regime change.

It warned the attacks risked triggering a “humanitarian, economic and possibly radiological catastrophe” in the region and accused the U.S. and Israel of “plunging the Middle East into an abyss of uncontrolled escalation.”

The ministry also said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Araghchi briefed Lavrov on Iran’s attempts to repel the attacks and said Iran would seek to convene an urgent U.N. Security Council session, it said. Lavrov reiterated Russia’s condemnation of the U.S.-Israeli strikes and Moscow’s readiness to help broker peace.

Moscow called the bombing of nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards “unacceptable” and said it stood ready to help broker a peaceful resolution, while placing full responsibility for the escalation on the United States and Israel.

"Responsibility for the negative consequences of this manmade crisis, including an unpredictable chain reaction and spiraling violence, lies entirely with them," the statement said.

Russia's Foreign Ministry also condemned what it called “the serial nature of destabilizing attacks carried out by the U.S. administration," accusing the U.S. of attacking "the international legal pillars of the world order."

Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran.

Iranian forces and Russian sailors conducted annual drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean last week aimed at “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Some observers in Moscow argue that the focus on the confrontation between Israel and Iran could distract global attention from the war in Ukraine and play into Russia’s hands by potentially weakening Western support for Kyiv.

FILE -The main building of Russia's Foreign Ministry dominates the skyline in downtown Moscow, Aug. 16, 2006, with a Soviet Union state emblem on the facade. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File)