The Conversion of Saint Paul

A late fresco in the Pauline Chapel

In his late sixties, Michelangelo painted two large frescoes in the Pauline Chapel, the pope’s private chapel in the Vatican: the Conversion of Saul and the Crucifixion of Saint Peter. The Conversion was painted around 1542 to 1545.

Christ plunges from heaven

At the top, Christ dives headfirst out of the sky, surrounded by crowds of angels. A shaft of light shoots from his outstretched hand down towards Saul.

Saul struck to the ground

Saul, an old man with a white beard, lies fallen on the ground, blinded, shielding his eyes. Michelangelo showed him as old, unlike most artists, who painted him young.

A fleeing horse and scattered soldiers

His horse bolts away into the distance.

Around him, soldiers stagger, cover their ears and scatter in panic. The whole composition spirals around the moment of divine intervention.

Questions about The Conversion of Saint Paul

Where is it?

Pauline Chapel, Vatican City.

When was it painted?

Around 1542 to 1545.

Why is Saul old?

Michelangelo chose to show him as an old man, possibly identifying with him.

Is there a companion fresco?

Yes, the Crucifixion of Saint Peter, on the opposite wall.

Sources and image credit

• Wikimedia Commons: Conversion of Saint Paul

Public-domain reproduction of The Conversion of Saint Paul, via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same image; no reconstruction or upscaling.