Sistine Chapel Transformed into Secretive Voting Center for Papal Conclave

The Sistine Chapel, usually one of the world's most visited cultural landmarks, has been temporarily converted into a closed-door voting chamber to elect the next pope. Vatican officials, using historical sketches and archival photos, meticulously recreated the setting of previous conclaves. Long wooden tables draped in beige cloth and burgundy satin now line both sides of the chapel. Each cardinal has a designated cherry-wood chair bearing his name. At the front, beneath Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment,” stands a lectern holding the Gospels, where cardinals swore oaths of secrecy. Next to it is a wooden table with a ballot urn. To preserve the chapel’s floor, a raised wooden platform covered in cloth has been installed. Each cardinal is given a red folder, a ballot paper, and a pen. After each vote, the ballots are burned in a special stove. The smoke’s color — black or white — signals to the outside world whether a new pope has been elected.