You can now see Michelango's Sistine Chapel art 'up close' in Manchester

One of the world's greatest ever artworks can now be viewed in Manchester - with the opening of an acclaimed exhibition dedicated to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings.

The new exhibition opens to the public on Friday inside a huge unit at Trafford Palazzo, the former Barton Arcade next to the Trafford Centre.

It showcases Michelangelo's renowned ceiling frescoes from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, reproduced as vast photographs and displayed in their original size - so visitors can get a true feel of the huge scale of the artworks up-close and personal.

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Guests will also get to learn all there is to know about 16th century artist Michelangelo’s incredible life and how he created the staggering artistic achievement, at the exhibition which has been wowing audiences in cities across the world and is opening in Manchester for the first time.

As anyone who has visited the actual Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City (pre-Covid times) will tell you, visiting the real thing involves a very long queue to get in, huge crowds inside as you view the majestic chapel and artworks, and photography is strictly banned.

His own experience at the Sistine Chapel is what motivated the exhibition's founder, Martin Biallis of SEE events, to create an interactive exhibition where people could spend time admiring the artworks while also snapping selfies with some of the world's most famous artistic creations of biblical stories.

Organisers here in Manchester say numbers will be strictly limited to avoid any kind of overcrowding, with tickets booked in time slots spaced throughout the day, opening at 10am to 6pm Wednesdays to