Apostolic Palace — the official residence of the Pope, located in the Vatican. Also known as the Papal Palace and the Palace of the Vatican. In the Vatican the building is called the Palace of Sixtus V in honor of Pope Sixtus V.

Apostolic Palace consists of the Papal apartments, various office premises of the Catholic Church and the papacy, both public and private chapels of the Vatican museums and the Vatican library, including the Borgia apartments, now used for storage of works of art.

Back in 1377 to Rome after the Avignon captivity, the courtyard of the Pope at first was the residence of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, and then the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. By the time the old Vatican Palace fell into decline, and the Lateran Palace was once the official residence of the Popes, there were two serious fires. In 1447, Pope Nicholas V was demolished ancient fortified structure to his place to build the current Apostolic Palace. Then over a hundred years, the Palace was rebuilt and decorated. Its present appearance, he began to acquire in the late 16th century under Pope Sixtus V. In the 20th century by order of Pope Pius XI was built the monumental entrance to the art gallery and Museum.

To be precise, the Apostolic Palace consists of several separate buildings, situated around the courtyard of Sixtus V (Cortile di Sisto V). He stands to the North-East of St. Peter's Basilica next to the Bastion of Nicholas V and the Palazzo Gregorio XIII.

Apartment Borgia is a series of rooms in the Palace intended for personal use by Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo de Borgia). It was he who in the late 15th century have commissioned the Italian painter Pinturicchio to decorate the apartments with frescoes. Bathrooms are part of the Vatican library and Vatican museums — most of them now occupied Vatican collection of modern religious art, which was initiated in 1973 at the initiative of Pope Paul VI.

The Clementine hall was created in the 16th century by order of Pope Clement VIII in honor of his predecessor, Pope Clement I. Like other chapels and apartments of the Palace, this room is notable for its huge collection of frescoes and other works of art.

But, perhaps the most famous room of the Apostolic Palace is the Sistine chapel, named after Pope Sixtus IV. It is famous for its murals, the works of outstanding masters of the Renaissance, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio, Domenico Ghirlandaio and others.