Vatican unveils final Raphael Hall. Renovation reveals extraordinary discovery

After a decade of meticulous renovation, the Vatican Museums have unveiled the most spectacular and mysterious of Raphael's Halls, the Hall of Constantine. During the work, experts made an extraordinary discovery.

After a decade of painstaking conservation work , the Vatican Museums have proudly unveiled the last and, as experts say, “most important” of the Raphael Rooms . This is the final act of a spectacular undertaking that has restored the splendour of Renaissance masterpieces. The Hall of Constantine , as it is called, is once again delighting visitors to the Apostolic Palace . Its interiors, filled with monumental paintings, almost rival the famous Sistine Chapel , and are now free of scaffolding.

Vatican unveils last of four Raphael Rooms 0 Constantine Room / Shutterstock

The Hall of Constantine is the largest of Raphael's four famous Halls . He began decorating it at the age of 25, personally commissioned by Pope Julius II . The artist was to decorate the private apartments in the Apostolic Palace – and ultimately created spaces that still compete with the Sistine Chapel for the pinnacle of Renaissance artistry.

During 10 years of conservation work, a team of Vatican specialists made a real discovery: Raphael, contrary to the canons in force at the time, decided to use the oil technique directly on the wall .

" The technique used and planned by Raphael was truly experimental for that time and has not been found in any other mural done in oils," Fabio Piacentini, chief conservator, told The Associated Press.

Unfortunately, Raphael died prematurely, on April 6, 1520. The work on the hall had to be completed by his students, who – as the experts themselves admit – were unable to recreate the masterful oil technique. Thanks to this, experts discovered which works were painted by the master.

Interestingly, thanks to the discoveries of conservators, it was confirmed that the two female figures – Justice and Courtesy – are authentic paintings by Raphael himself.

Although the Constantine Hall has never been completely closed to the public for the past decade, scaffolding and conservation work have effectively stripped it of its former splendor. Only now, free from construction, does it invite tourists to an extraordinary encounter with history and art.