The Sistine Chapel was consecrated in 1483.
Pope Sixtus IV commissioned the chapel, and construction took place from 1473 to 1481. The building was consecrated on 15 August 1483, the Feast of the Assumption. Its dedication was to Our Lady of the Assumption, reflecting the chapel’s original liturgical purpose and title.
The consecration occurred before the famous ceiling existed. The first major decoration campaign covered the side walls with frescoes by artists including Perugino, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, and Cosimo Rosselli. Michelangelo painted the ceiling from 1508 to 1512 and later painted The Last Judgment from 1536 to 1541.
This sequence helps prevent a common date mix-up. The year 1483 belongs to the chapel’s consecration, 1508 marks the beginning of Michelangelo’s ceiling project, and 1541 marks the completion of The Last Judgment. These are distinct milestones in the building’s history.