Today Michelangelo's celling of the Sistine Chapel is 500 years old.
The stories of the genesis painted by the Master which deeply influenced the Art history and are still inspiring millions of people were inagurated on October 31st with the celebration of the Vespers of All Saints Day by the pope Julius II.

Tonight the pope Benedict XVI will celebrate in the Sistine chapel to celebrate this important anniversary.

This object was used during sacrifices, the central act of ancient religious rites. It was also one of the symbols of royal power, whose memory was kept alive by the Romans even after the end of the monarchy.
Such axes formed part of the fasces of the most important republican magistrates, the consuls, as symbols of their coercive power.

 
​The sculpture depict the young Antinoo, great friend of Emperor Hadrian. He died very young and was made a god by the same emperor. Sculputes of Antinoo can be found in archeological museum all over the world. He’s the best looking guy of ancient times

When Cybele saw that Attis , a handsome shepherd whom she loved, was attracted to another woman, she caused in him an uncontrollable fury that led him to castrate himself.
The young man mutilated himself beneath a pine tree and bled to death, violets sprang from his blood, becoming symbols of the annual  renewal of seasons.