Conclave: Work in full swing at the Sistine Chapel

A raised floor, a stove, and a fireplace: Work is in full swing to prepare the Sistine Chapel for the conclave that will begin Wednesday to elect the next pope, according to a video released this Saturday, May 3, by the Vatican press office. In this short, nearly five-minute film, technicians are attaching construction jacks and beams to build a raised wooden floor beneath Michelangelo's frescoes, before installing large tables on the platform.

Others set up the heavy stove in a corner of the chapel, which will diffuse the smoke announcing the vote of the 133 cardinals: white if they have elected a pope, black if not. The video, dated Friday, also shows firefighters climbing onto the tiled roof to fix the chimney flue.

On the Vatican City website, Silvio Screpanti, deputy director of infrastructure for the small state, reveals the technical details of this "key stage in the life of the Catholic Church." Regarding the stove, checks were carried out "discreetly" and "if necessary, " a technician "will remain throughout the voting in a small technical room near the Sistine Chapel, with a remote control of the stove," which is now electronically activated, he explains.

A total of five electricians, five technicians and two florists will remain on site for the duration of the conclave. Having taken the oath, they will sleep in the Vatican, "without being able to have contact with their families." Some of them have already participated in previous conclaves, the others are younger and their more experienced colleagues will "pass the baton to them for the future."

Technicians are also "blacking out all the windows of the Vatican Palace in the areas designated for the conclave" and disabling "all the technological devices and sensors installed in recent years in the Sistine Chapel." On the eve of the conclave, they will help place "about 80 lead seals on all entrances to the perimeter."

Furthermore, "around 200 rooms" are being prepared, with the installation of "partitions, temporary doors and the temporary closing of some windows to eliminate any overlooking ." As for the furniture, "it is the minimum necessary equipment" with "bed, bedside table, wardrobe," adds Silvio Screpanti.