Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Vatican Museums were founded on the 14th of January 1506 when Pope Julius II purchased the Laocoön statue group. This acquisition marked the founding moment after workers unearthed the sculpture in a vineyard near Santa Maria Maggiore.
Architect Luca Beltrami designed the new building for the Pinacoteca gallery which opened on the 27th of October 1932. Pius XI ordered this construction to house the museum's painting collection within dedicated structures.
Major works include Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, Raphael's School of Athens frescoes, and Caravaggio's The Entombment of Christ. The collection also features pieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Dalí across its various galleries.
Six point eight million people visited the Vatican Museums in 2024 according to official records. This figure placed the institution second on the list of most-visited art museums worldwide after the Louvre.
Three climate activists glued themselves to the base of the Laocoön statue on the 18th of August 2022 while unfurling a banner about fossil fuels. Conservationists reported permanent damage requiring restoration work costing 3,148 euros and the trio received nine-month suspended prison sentences.