Overview
- A floor-to-ceiling fixed scaffold was erected to reach the altar wall, and visitors can still enter the chapel, where a full-size reproduction covers the work site.
- Vatican scientists identified the residue as calcium lactate formed when lactic acid from sweat reacts with the fresco’s calcium carbonate, with warmer conditions increasing humidity.
- Restorers apply distilled water through Japanese paper to dissolve and remove the whitish veil, revealing markedly brighter colors and details.
- Officials aim to finish before Easter and are evaluating filtration and humidity-control technologies rather than sharply cutting overall visitor numbers.
- The project is backed by U.S. donors and forms part of a sectional conservation program following the 1979–1999 overhaul.