The commission: Leo X and the Apostles cycle
In 1515, Pope Leo X — son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the first Florentine patron in Rome — commissioned Raphael to produce a series of tapestries to be displayed in the Sistine Chapel on major liturgical occasions. Raphael was 32 at the time and at the height of his career.
The chosen subject was the book of the Acts of the Apostles: the story of the early Church after the Resurrection. The theological programme was precise: Peter as the foundation of the Church (first half), Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles (second half). The choice was not accidental: Leo X was contending with the Lutheran crisis, which erupted formally in 1517 with the Ninety-Five Theses.
Raphael produced ten cartoons — full-scale preparatory drawings on paper — delivered in 1516 to Pieter van Aelst, the master weaver of Brussels. The tapestries were completed in 1519 and installed in the Sistine Chapel for the first time in November of that year.
The cartoons: from Rome to London
The history of the preparatory cartoons is separate from that of the tapestries. In 1623, Charles I of England purchased seven of the ten original cartoons — the three missing ones have been lost over the centuries. The seven survivors, purchased in Genoa by English agents, entered the British Royal Collection and are today on permanent display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
This creates an unusual situation: the original cartoons are in London, the woven derivatives are in the Vatican. To see both versions of the same subject, one must visit two museums in two different countries.
The ten scenes
Acts of Peter
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes: Jesus appears to the fishermen after the Resurrection; the net overflows with fish. Peter, recognising the Lord, throws himself into the water. A composition with life-size figures on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias. One of the most powerful scenes: Peter's posture is one of total surrender.
Christ's Charge to Peter ("Feed my sheep"): the Risen Christ asks Peter three times "Do you love me?", entrusting him with the flock of the Church. Christ facing forward, Peter kneeling, a landscape background. The subject corresponds to John 21: the foundation of the Petrine primacy.
The Healing of the Lame Man: Peter and John heal a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple in Jerusalem. The figure of the lame man — contorted, then straightened — exemplifies Raphael's ability to render bodily movement.
The Death of Ananias: Ananias falls dead after lying to the Holy Spirit by withholding part of the proceeds of his land sale. A group scene: apostles standing, the body on the ground. One of the most dramatic scenes in the cycle.
The Stoning of Stephen: the first Christian martyr is stoned outside Jerusalem. Saul — the future Paul — is present as a witness, with the cloaks of the stone-throwers at his feet.
Acts of Paul
The Conversion of Saul: Saul falls from his horse on the road to Damascus, struck down by divine light. A dynamic scene, rearing horses, discomposed figures.
The Blinding of Elymas: Paul blinds the sorcerer Elymas in Cyprus, before the Roman proconsul. The figure of the proconsul seated on his throne creates a contrast of authority with Paul's gestures.
The Sacrifice at Lystra: the inhabitants of Lystra wish to sacrifice to Barnabas and Paul, mistaking them for gods; Paul stops them with a speech. A scene with an altar, an ox, a priestly figure, Paul gesticulating.
Paul Preaching at Athens: Paul at the Areopagus before the Greek cultural elite. The Areopagus scene is the moment of maximum confrontation between Christian faith and pagan philosophy.
Paul in Prison: the apostle in jail before his departure for Rome.
Technical features of the tapestries
The Vatican tapestries are made of wool, silk, silver thread and gold thread — the most precious sections, such as the skies and the apostles' vestments, are worked with metallic threads. Each tapestry measures on average 4–5 metres in height and 5–6 metres in width.
The sixteenth-century Flemish technique was the most advanced in the world for tapestry weaving. Pieter van Aelst — supplier to Charles V of Habsburg — guaranteed the highest quality available on the market.
The tapestries of Urban VIII
The Gallery of Tapestries also houses a second cycle, commissioned by Urban VIII in the seventeenth century from Belgian workshops: scenes from the life of Urban VIII that mix biblical iconography with papal celebration. These tapestries — of high quality but Baroque in style — are less well known and often ignored by visitors hurrying toward the Sistine.
Where the Gallery of Tapestries is located
The Gallery of Tapestries lies between the Gallery of the Candelabra and the Gallery of Maps, on the standard route toward the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. No separate booking is required: it is included in the standard ticket. The natural light entering from the Vatican gardens side illuminates the textiles differently from the Sistine Chapel.
Visiting with a private driver
The Gallery of Tapestries is on the central axis of the Vatican Museums.
Arrive at the Vatican Museums at opening with a private driver: the Gallery of Tapestries is quiet and well-lit in the early hours. Service from €49. → Book your driver at myromedriver.com
Frequently asked questions
Where are Raphael's original cartoons? Seven of the ten original cartoons are at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where they are on permanent display. Three have been lost over the centuries.
Have the tapestries ever left the Vatican? Yes. They were taken to Paris by Napoleon in 1798 and returned to the Vatican in 1815 after the Congress of Vienna, but with some damage.
Are the tapestries autograph works by Raphael? No. Raphael drew the cartoons; the weaving was done by Flemish masters in Brussels. The relationship is comparable to that between an architect and a construction firm: the design is Raphael's, the physical execution belongs to the weavers.
Why is the Gallery of Tapestries less visited than the Raphael Rooms? Because the public does not distinguish between the tapestries (in the Gallery of Tapestries) and the wall paintings (in the Raphael Rooms). Museum communication does not help: the two spaces are not clearly differentiated in visitor materials.
Can you see the cartoons and the tapestries on the same day? Only with a Rome–London flight on the same day — not practically feasible. The standard approach is to visit the cartoons during a stay in London and the tapestries during a stay in Rome.
Article no. 35 — TIER S — MON-02 Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel Type: HISTORY Words: ~2,400