Michelangelo's 'Secret Room' to Open for Visitors
2023-11-04
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1Visitors will soon be able to see a long-hidden space inside the Medici Chapel in the Italian city of Florence.
2The walls of the small space contain drawings that some experts believe may have been created by the famous artist Michelangelo.
3The secret room is small - 10 meters by 3 meters.
4Officials discovered the room in 1975 when searching for a way to make a new exit from Medici Chapel.
5The museum's then-director Paolo Dal Poggetto strongly believed that the drawings were by Michelangelo, said the current director, Paola D'Agostino.
6A debate over the issue began then and continues to this day.
7D'Agostino suggested that experts of Michelangelo's drawings did not believe he created the works at the time of their discovery 50 years ago.
8She added, "Others had a more moderate view, in the sense they thought that some could be by Michelangelo and others could be by followers.
9So the debate is ongoing."
10The room was used to store coal until 1955.
11Then it was closed and forgotten for years below a special kind of opening known as a trapdoor.
12The trapdoor was hidden beneath furniture.
13The drawings themselves were discovered under two layers of plaster - a substance used to make walls and ceilings smooth.
14Dal Poggetto believed Michelangelo hid in the space to escape the anger of Pope Clement VII.
15The artist had supported a short-lived republic that overthrew the Medicis.
16In the room, the artist drew for some of his projects.
17They include drawings believed to be the legs of Giuliano de' Medici.
18Starting on November 15, small groups of four people will be able to visit the room for about 15 minutes.
19Visitors will have to pay an additional $20 on top of the $10 charged for entry to the main museum.
20The museum said it limits the number of visitors because of the need to reduce exposure of the artworks to light.
21At most, 100 visitors will be able to go to the room each week.
22I'm John Russell.
1Visitors will soon be able to see a long-hidden space inside the Medici Chapel in the Italian city of Florence. The walls of the small space contain drawings that some experts believe may have been created by the famous artist Michelangelo. 2The secret room is small - 10 meters by 3 meters. Officials discovered the room in 1975 when searching for a way to make a new exit from Medici Chapel. 3The museum's then-director Paolo Dal Poggetto strongly believed that the drawings were by Michelangelo, said the current director, Paola D'Agostino. A debate over the issue began then and continues to this day. 4D'Agostino suggested that experts of Michelangelo's drawings did not believe he created the works at the time of their discovery 50 years ago. She added, "Others had a more moderate view, in the sense they thought that some could be by Michelangelo and others could be by followers. So the debate is ongoing." 5The room was used to store coal until 1955. Then it was closed and forgotten for years below a special kind of opening known as a trapdoor. The trapdoor was hidden beneath furniture. The drawings themselves were discovered under two layers of plaster - a substance used to make walls and ceilings smooth. 6Dal Poggetto believed Michelangelo hid in the space to escape the anger of Pope Clement VII. The artist had supported a short-lived republic that overthrew the Medicis. 7In the room, the artist drew for some of his projects. They include drawings believed to be the legs of Giuliano de' Medici. 8Starting on November 15, small groups of four people will be able to visit the room for about 15 minutes. Visitors will have to pay an additional $20 on top of the $10 charged for entry to the main museum. 9The museum said it limits the number of visitors because of the need to reduce exposure of the artworks to light. At most, 100 visitors will be able to go to the room each week. 10I'm John Russell. 11John Russell adapted this story from AP and Reuters reports. 12_________________________________________________ 13Words in This Story 14furniture - n. chairs, tables, beds, etc. 15exposure - n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something