The Museum of Vatican History is one of the many outstanding Vatican Museums. When Pope Paul first founded the Historical Museum in 1973. The collection was kept below ground level in a square garden. It wasn't until 1987 that it was moved to the main floor of the Lateran Apostolic Palace, and it wasn't until March 1991 that it was made public again. The Vatican City Museums were first founded in 1503 by then-Pope Julius II. The museum's collection of artworks grew from the private collections of wealthy families to include public holdings from the future pope and successive popes. Due to the Vatican Museums' extensive collection and growing need for additional buildings to house the artwork, the Vatican Museum of History was established.

Rather than the architecture of the church, visitors to the Sistine Chapel are mostly drawn to the murals that cover the whole ceiling and walls. The Holy College of Cardinals uses the pope's private chapel, the Sistine Chapel, to select a new pope when a post becomes available. It also serves as the location of the pope's most important rites. When the chapel isn't in use, though, it is closed for practical reasons, and people come from all over the world to see the incredible artworks hidden inside.