The first day of the conclave to elect the 267th Pope concluded without success, as black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 9:00 p.m. on May 8, Wednesday, indicating no candidate received the required two-thirds majority vote.
As the world turns its gaze toward the Vatican in anticipation of the election of the 267th successor of St. Peter, a centuries-old chapel—modest in size but boundless in spiritual power—once again takes center stage.
Preparations for the upcoming papal conclave are underway in the Vatican, as workers have installed the iconic chimney atop the Sistine Chapel—the most recognized symbol of the election process for a new Pope on May 2.
Twenty meters above the splendid cosmatesque pavement of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s brushstrokes can be admired up close — the Maestro’s imprints left in the plaster. Vatican News takes you on a unique visit with the Vatican Museums’ technicians and restoration workers.
