Tourists and pilgrims are continuing to visit the Sistine Chapel -- famed for the ceiling painted by Michelangelo -- at the moment, Lombardi said.

CNN: Vatican: Cardinals still to arrive in Rome

The Sistine Chapel and its ornate ceiling by Michelangelo are normally a must-see for tourists in Rome, but it was closed to the public beginning Tuesday afternoon to allow for preparations to take place.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Sipping champagne and nibbling caviar, 125 art-world glitterati gaze at Michelangelo's famed Sistine Chapel frescoes.

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Far less modest are the adjacent Vatican Museums, an exhausting feast of art, and home to the world's most famous frescoes in the legendary Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's astounding ceiling and wall frescoes that take the cake - picture terrified sinners and ravishing prophets bursting out in 3-D brilliance.

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