Since Pope Francis was elected in March, 2013, more than 5.5 million people have been through the chapel.

This amounts to 20,000 a day and 30,000 on Sundays, when entrance is free.

But the perspiration and breath from so many people threatens the survival of masterpieces by Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, Pinturicchio, Perugino and, most famously, Michelangelo.

Vatican authorities refuse to reduce the number of visitors, as they insist the faithful have a right to see the room where cardinals have elected new popes for more than five centuries.

The present air-conditioning system, installed in the mid-1990s, was designed for only half the current number of visitors.

So the Vatican is installing a powerful new system which is hoped to be operative in October.

A new energy-efficient LED lighting system is also being installed.

An extensive restoration on the Sistine Chapel was completed in 1994.

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