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Rome (dpa) - It is a dull, wet winter morning in Rome. As always, a river of visitors snakes around the zigzagging walls that fence the Holy See, patiently waiting in line for their turn to purchase a ticket.
The Vatican Museums may be turning 500 years old, but they certainly haven't lost their shine.
In fact, one of the oldest and richest depositories of art in the world has grown more popular than ever.
During the course of 2005, the year in which Pope John Paul II died and Benedict XVI took his place, it attracted a record 3.8 million visitors. Officials say the "new pope effect" will likely raise their number to over 4 million by the end of 2006.
Cardinal Edmund Szoka, an American who acts as governor of Vatican City, says officials had expected only 2 million visitors a year when construction on the museum's new entrance began, eight years ago.
"Now we are close to 4 million. No one could have foreseen such a huge increase in visitors," Szoka told a recent press conference at the Vatican.
One of the causes of the long queues, which can stretch about half a kilometre at peak times, is connected with the anti-terrorism security measures in place since the September 11 attacks in the United States. Visitors must now go through metal detectors and have their baggage x-rayed before they are allowed in.
But by far the most important is the inexhaustible allure of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.
"It's a must," say Fran and Scott, a young couple from Boston. "When you are in Paris you've got to see the Louvre, when in Rome you can't miss the Sistine Chapel."
Many people, like Alison and Richard from England, visited the museum when they were young and now want to show their children.
Others, like Jens from Copenhagen, say they are here to see what Michelangelo's Last Judgement looks like after its restoration in the early 1990s.
The wait usually averages 45 minutes and, once inside, the vast majority of visitors head left for the quickest route to the famous frescoed room where the 2005 conclave took place, the Borgia Apartments, the Raphael and the Maps Rooms.
Those who love archeology and some peace and quiet should instead turn right and head to the Museo Cristiano and the Museo Missionario Etnologico, both of which have been recently renewed and which boost priceless sarcophagi, religious objects from the Far East and statues from Ancient Rome.
In fact, the Vatican Museums owe their origin to a Roman-era statue - a 1st-Century reproduction of a Greek bronze of the mythological character Laocoon. Found in 1506 near the Coliseum, the statue was moved into one of the papal palace courtyards by Pope Julius II.
The muSeums hasn't stopped growing since and today host about 8 kilometres of exhibitions, ranging from Egyptian mummies to contemporary art works by Giorgio de Chirico.
The Vatican plans to celebrate the museum's 500th birthday with a series of initiatives, including the opening to the public of a Roman necropolis found inside the Vatican walls during excavations for a new car park.
In true Vatican style, the celebrations were due to kick-off on Friday with a Holy Mass inside the Sistine Chapel.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
