Which pope commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling?

Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

The project began in 1508, several decades after the chapel was built for Julius II’s uncle, Pope Sixtus IV. Julius originally considered a smaller plan featuring the Twelve Apostles, but the commission developed into the much larger ceiling cycle visible today.

Michelangelo worked on the ceiling from 1508 to 1512. Its central panels depict scenes from Genesis, including the Creation of Adam and the Great Flood. The commission is sometimes confused with Michelangelo’s later work on the chapel’s altar wall: Pope Paul III commissioned The Last Judgment, which was painted between 1536 and 1541.

Julius II was also known for commissioning major Renaissance projects in Rome, including work on the new Saint Peter’s Basilica. His relationship with Michelangelo was famously demanding, but it resulted in one of the most influential artistic commissions in Western history.