The Apostolic Palace is the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Pope Nicholas V razed Eugene III's fortified palace in 1447 to build the present one, and Sixtus V began the current version on April 30, 1589. The article also says construction ran mainly between 1471 and 1605, and does not explain the gap. It covers 1,743,753 square feet (162,000 m²).
The Sistine Chapel, named for Sixtus IV and frescoed by Michelangelo, Botticelli and others, is where conclaves are held. Julius II commissioned the four Raphael Rooms in 1508 or 1509. Pinturicchio frescoed the Borgia Apartments between 1492 and 1494. Bramante designed the loggias, which Raphael decorated with 52 biblical scenes.
Visitors enter through the Vatican Museums to see the Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms and Borgia Apartments. The Sala Regia has allowed occasional tourism since 2019, and the Cappella Paolina stays closed.
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