Which Vatican chapel contains Michelangelo's frescoes of the Conversion of Saul and Crucifixion of St. Peter?

The story behind the answer

Michelangelo’s frescoes of the Conversion of Saul and the Crucifixion of Saint Peter are in the Pauline Chapel.

The chapel is also called the Cappella Paolina and is located in the Vatican Palace. Pope Paul III commissioned Michelangelo to decorate it, giving the chapel its name. Michelangelo painted the Conversion of Saul around 1542–1545 and the Crucifixion of Saint Peter around 1546–1550.

These were among Michelangelo’s last major fresco projects. The Conversion of Saul depicts the moment when Saul encounters Christ on the road to Damascus and becomes a Christian. The Crucifixion of Saint Peter presents the apostle’s martyrdom, traditionally understood to have occurred upside down at his request.

The Sistine Chapel is the common mix-up because Michelangelo’s ceiling and Last Judgment are there. The Pauline Chapel is a different Vatican space, built for liturgical use and papal ceremonies. The Niccoline Chapel and Cappella Chigi are also distinct chapels and do not contain this pair of Michelangelo frescoes.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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